Uffington

Was doing some reading about the famous Nazca Lines in Peru and came across a link to another geoglyph known as the Uffington White Horse.

Located in Oxfordshire, England, the horse was dug out of a hillside and the lines filled with chalk to make them stand out.  Much of the design can be seen from the top of Dragon Hill, about a mile away, but the entire horse can only be seen from the air.

The horse’s excellent condition is being maintained by the British National Trust, and gets a face-lift every few years.  Although carefully hidden, the edges have been reinforced with concrete and polypropylene netting in places, and the chalk replaced where lost to erosion.

 I learned that there are quite a few white horses in the English countryside, but most of them are solid-body horses created in the 1800’s.  The Uffiington Horse looks more like modern abstract art, and it was created 3,000 years ago.

Its original purpose—along with the identity of its creators—is uncertain. It may have been a religious symbol, a monument to a victory in battle, a territory marker, or simply a giant piece of art.  Since it can only be viewed from above, there have been those who suggest it is the work of extra-terrestrials.

I think it – and the Nazca Lines – are the world’s longest-running practical joke.