Soham

Coordinates: 52°20′02″N 0°20′10″E / 52.333831°N 0.336063°E / 52.333831; 0.336063

Soham (/ˈsoʊəm/) is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It lies just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket (Suffolk). Its population was 10,860 (2001 census), and it is within the district of East Cambridgeshire.

History

Archaeology

The region between Devil's Dyke and the line between Littleport and Shippea Hill shows a remarkable amount of archaeological findings of the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. A couple of hoards of bronze objects are found in the area of Soham, including one with swords and spearheads of the later Bronze Age as well as a gold torc, retrieved in 1938. An extensive ditch system, not visible on aerial photographs, has been identified, as well as a wooden track-way 800 metres in length between Fordey Farm (Barway) and Little Thetford, with associated shards of later Bronze Age pottery (1935).

St. Felix Of Burgundy 'Apostle Of The East Angles'

Soham (disambiguation)

Soham is a small town in the English county of Cambridgeshire.

Soham may also refer to:

Soham (Sanskrit)

Soham (सो ऽहम् so 'ham) is a Hindu mantra, meaning "I am He/That" in Sanskrit.

In Vedic philosophy it means identifying oneself with the universe or ultimate reality.

The mantra is also inverted from so 'ham (the sandhi of saḥ + aham) to ham + sa. The combination of so 'haṃ haṃsaḥ has also been interpreted as "I myself am the Swan", where the swan symbolizes the Atman.

Etymology

An etymology of haṃsa "swan, goose" (in fact cognate with English goose) as from ahaṃ sa "I am that" is found in the 14th century commentary on the Vedas by Sayana (14th century).

The term so'ham is related to sa, and the phrase translates to "I that very person", according to Monier-Williams. Interpreted as a nominal sentence, it can also be read as "I am he" or "It/He is I". The term is found in Vedic literature, and is a phrase that identifies "oneself with the universe or ultimate reality".

History

This phrase is found in Principal Upanishads such as the Isha Upanishad (verse 16), which ends:

Soham, or "I am He", is very common in ancient and medieval literature. Some examples include: