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The Cerne Abbas Giant is a hill figure near the village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, England. Made by a turf-cut outline filled with chalk, it depicts a large, naked man, with a substantial erect penis, typically described as a giant wielding a club. The figure is listed as a scheduled monument in the United Kingdom and the site where he stands is owned by the National Trust. The figure has been the subject of much study and speculation, but its origin and age are unclear. It is often thought of as an ancient construction, though the earliest mention of it dates to the late 17th century. Early antiquarians associated it, on little evidence, with a Saxon deity, while other scholars sought to identify it with a Celtic British figure or the Roman Hercules, or some syncretization of the two. Archaeological evidence that parts of the drawing have been lost over time strengthen the Hercules identification. However the lack of earlier descriptions leads modern scholars to conclude that it may date from the 17th century, and perhaps originated as political satire. Regardless of its age, the Cerne Abbas Giant has become an important part of local culture and folklore, which often associates it with fertility. It is one of England's best known hill figures and is a major visitor attraction in the region. ==Description== The Cerne Abbas Giant is located just outside the small village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, about west of Bournemouth and north of Weymouth. The figure depicts a huge naked man, about high and wide. It is carved into the white chalk rock 〔 on the steep west-facing side of a hill known as Giant Hill〔"(Hill figure called The Giant )", Scheduled Monument record number 1003202, The National Heritage List for England, at English Heritage, retrieved 14 October 2012.〕 or Trendle Hill.〔Haughton, Brian, ''Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, and Ancient Mysteries'', publisher ReadHowYouWant.com, 2009, ISBN 1442952601, 9781442952607, (page 258 )〕〔William Holloway, "The Giant of Trendle Hill", The minor minstrel: or, Poetical pieces, chiefly familiar and descriptive, Printed for W. Suttaby, 1808, 182 pages, (page 140 )〕 Atop the hill is another landmark, the Iron Age earthwork known as the "Trendle" or "Frying Pan". The carving is formed by outlines cut into the turf about deep, and filled with crushed chalk.〔 In his right hand the giant holds a knobbled club in length,〔Hy. Colley March M.D. F.S.A., "The Giant and the Maypole of Cerne", ''Proceedings'', Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, Vol.22, 1901, (page 108 )〕 and adding to the total height of the figure.〔Stuart Piggott, "The Hercules Myth—beginnings and ends", ''Antiquity'' (Vol.12 No.47 ), September 1938, Page 327〕 A line across the waist is considered to be a belt.〔Timothy Darvill, "(Cerne Giant, Dorset, England )", in ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology'', publisher: Oxford University Press, 2009, ISBN 0199534047, 9780199534043, 544 pages.〕 Writing in 1901 in the ''Proceedings'' of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, Henry Colley March noted that: "The Cerne Giant presents five characteristics: (1) It is petrographic ... It is, therefore, a rock carving ... (2) It is colossal ... (3) It is nude. ... (4) It is ithyphallic ... (5) The Giant is clavigerous. It bears a weapon in its right hand."〔Hy. Colley March M.D. F.S.A., "The Giant and the Maypole of Cerne", ''Proceedings'', Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, Vol.22, 1901, (pages 107–108 )〕 A 1996 study found that some features have changed over time, concluding that the figure originally held a cloak in its left arm and stood over a disembodied head. The former presence of a cloak was corroborated in 2008 when a team of archaeologists using special equipment determined that part of the carving had been allowed to be obliterated. The cloak may have been a depiction of an animal skin, giving credence to the theory that the giant was a depiction of a hunter, or alternatively, Hercules with the skin of the Nemean lion over his arm. Additionally, reviewing historical depictions of the giant, it has been suggested that the Giant's current large erection is, in fact, the result of merging a circle representing his navel with a smaller penis during a re-cut. In 1993, the National Trust gave the Giant a "nose job" after years of erosion had worn it away.〔Chris Court, "Nose Job for Chalk Giant", Press Association, Sunday 11 April 1993, Home News〕〔Raphael Samuel, ''Theatres of Memory: Past and Present in Contemporary Culture'', Publisher: Verso Books, 2012, ISBN 1844678695, 9781844678693, 508 pages, (page 172 )〕 The Giant has been described as "renowned for its manhood",〔Paul Edwards, "Campaigning Couples to Gather at Ancient Fertility Symbol", Press Association, Sunday 2 May 1993〕 "markedly phallic",〔 "sexually explicit"〔Temple Willcox, "Hard times for the Cerne Giant: 20th-century attitudes to an ancient monument" ((abstract )), ''Antiquity'', Vol.62 No.236, September 1988, page 524〕 and "ithyphallic".〔Hy. Colley March M.D. F.S.A., "The Giant and the Maypole of Cerne", ''Proceedings'', Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, Vol.22, 1901, (page 104 )〕 The Giant sports an erection, including its testicles, some long, and nearly the length of its head.〔Eugene Monick, ''Phallos: Sacred Image of the Masculine'', Volume 27 of Studies in Jungian psychology, publisher Inner City Books, 1987, ISBN 0919123260, 9780919123267, 141 pages, (page 36 )〕 It has been called "Britain's most famous phallus".〔 One commentator noted that postcards of the Giant were the only indecent photographs that could be sent through the English Post Office.〔 The carving is most commonly known as the Cerne Abbas Giant.〔John Sydenham, ''Baal Durotrigensis. A dissertation on the antient colossal figure at Cerne, Dorsetshire'', London, W. Pickering, 1842. "Section IV" ((page 43 ))〕〔("Cerne Abbas Giant: Preserving an icon" ), BBC News Dorset, Wednesday, 17 March 2010, retrieved 5 October 2012〕〔"(Pass notes no 2,820: The Cerne Abbas giant )", The Guardian, Tuesday 27 July 2010, retrieved 5 October 2012〕〔"(Visit the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset )", 6 July 2011, retrieved 5 October 2012〕 The National Trust and others call it the "Cerne Giant",〔〔("Cerne Giant" ) at the National Trust, retrieved 5 October 2012〕 while English Heritage and Dorset County Council call it simply "The Giant".〔"(Hill figure called The Giant )" at English Heritage, retrieved 5 October 2012〕〔"(A background to Cerne Abbas )", Dorset County Council, retrieved 5 October 2012〕 The carving has also been referred to as the "Old Man",〔"Notes of the Month", ''Antiquary, a magazine devoted to the study of the past'' (1905), Volume: 41, (page 365 )〕 and more recently it has been referred to as the "Rude Man" of Cerne.〔Crispin Paine, ''Sacred Places'', National Trust Books, 2006, ISBN 1905400152, 9781905400157, (page 112 )〕〔Lionel Fanthorpe, Patricia Fanthorpe, ''The World's Most Mysterious Places'', Dundurn, 1999, ISBN 0888822065, 9780888822062, (page 171 )〕 Although the best view of the Giant is from the air, most tourist guides recommend a ground view from the "Giant's View" lay-by and car park off the A352.〔Patricia Beer, Fay Godwin, ''Wessex: a National Trust book'', published H. Hamilton, 1985, ISBN 0241115507, 9780241115503, 224 pages, (page 132 )〕〔"(Giant's View ) Lay-By on the A532 in Cerne Abbas" on Google Maps, retrieved 1 November 2012〕 This area was developed in 1979 in a joint project between the Dorset County Planning Department, the National Trust, Nature Conservancy Council (now called English Nature), the Dorset Naturalists Trusts, the Department of the Environment, and local land-owners. The information panel there was devised by the National Trust and Dorset County Council.〔Tony Haskell, ''Caring for our Built Heritage: Conservation in practice: a review of conservation schemes carried out by County Councils and National Park Authorities in England and Wales in association with District Councils and other agencies'', Publisher Taylor & Francis, 1993, ISBN 0419175806, 9780419175803, 379 pages, (page 20-21 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cerne Abbas Giant」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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