#montem — Public Fediverse posts

👀 A few years ago, archaeologists discovered the mound to be 1500 years old.

This makes it roughly contemporary with other Anglo-Saxon mounds like Sutton Hoo and nearby Taplow.

There is so much we don’t know. And to me it is all the more enigmatic for being surrounded by urban sprawl.

It is overlooked, like a lot of things in Slough, and I enjoy being one of the few who notices it. 👀

#montem #slough #burialmound #barrow #pagan #ancientbritain #anglosaxon #buckinghamshire @slough

👀 The ceremony at some point involved throwing salt and new students.

The area around the mound is now known as Salt Hill and it may be that the mound was once called that.

Does this name preserve a memory of these ancient rituals? Or perhaps the rituals are informed by the name…

#montem #slough #burialmound #barrow #pagan #ancientbritain #buckinghamshire @slough

👀 Strange rituals have taken place at Montem.

Before the wars and before trains came to these parts, the mound was surrounded by fields. From at least 1561 until 1846, the boys of nearby Eton College congregated each year around this mysterious mound.

The person who made this image (published in The English Spy in 1825) wildly exaggerated the size of the little tump, but you get the idea…

#montem #slough #burialmound #barrow #pagan #ancientbritain #buckinghamshire @slough

👀 Most people miss it.

But sandwiched between the busy main road and the leisure centre is something very special and very ancient: Montem Mound.

Montem means mound, so it probably had a different name in the past, but it’s been known as this for 500 years or more…

#montem #slough #burialmound #barrow #pagan #ancientbritain #buckinghamshire @slough

Let me tell you about the ancient mound 👀

Follow the old Bath Road west out of London. It’s an ancient artery dating back at least 2000 years but it’s probably much, much older.

After 22 miles (or 8 hours of walking) you’ll find yourself in Slough. People are often very negative about town. But for the curious eye there is much to see.

Let’s have a look…

#montem #slough #burialmound #barrow #pagan #ancientbritain #buckinghamshire @slough