Letter: 'Hercules' keeps his head but loses horns
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Simon Welfare is quite right (Letters, 25 May). It is generally accepted that the Giant of Cerne Abbas is a Romano-British representation of the classical Hercules with his club and (formerly) a lion's skin held in his left hand.
I pointed out the association in a paper in Antiquity (XII 323-331) as long ago as 1938, and Mr Welfare's resistivity survey nicely confirmed the situation. There is certainly no need to invoke severed heads or imaginary horns into a classical landscape, whatever associations the Giant may have had in antiquity.
Yours faithfully,
STUART PIGGOTT
West Challow, Oxfordshire
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments