Huge British hillside chalk figure finally dated - scientists quite surprised

'National Trust archaeologists surprised by likely age of Cerne Abbas Giant'

“Many archaeologists and historians thought he was prehistoric or post-medieval, but not medieval. Everyone was wrong ... Material taken from the deepest layer (1m) yielded a date range of 700-1100AD.”

• Why did no one guess in those four centuries?
• which direction in the sky does that hillside face?
• short backgrounder on the mystery of why it was made