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376 of some strong religious feeling; and a peculiar value must have been attached to the material, since the stone of the neighbourhood would have satisfied all the purposes of a monument.

"If Stonehenge," writes Mr. Stevens, "was erected at two distinct periods, the horseshoe and circle of foreign stone (Figs. 143,, and 145) probably formed the earlier temple. It may even have been erected elsewhere at some former period, and then transported to Salisbury Plain and again set up. An intrusive and conquering people may have brought these hallowed stones with them, and have added to the impressive appearance of their old temple, in its new situation, by repeating its features on a far larger scale, using local stone for the purpose." The buildings surrounding the shrine of the Kaaba at Mecca, and the Casa Santa at Loreto, are modern examples of ancient shrines encased in later and more magnificent temples.

The date of both of these temples is indicated by the surrounding tombs. According to Dr. Thurnam, barrows of the Bronze age cluster thickly around Avebury, 106 being still to be seen in the sixteen square miles near it; while round Stonehenge Sir Richard Colt Hoare counted 300 within twelve square miles, and in the days of Stukeley 128 were visible from a hill close by.

These two great temples of an unknown worship represent the Canterbury Cathedral or Westminster Abbey of the period, while the smaller circles to be