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| One of the earliest references to Stonehenge is that belonging to Geoffrey of Monmouth of the 12th century. He related, in Historia Regum Brittannae (c. ad 1136), the legend of Merlin and the magically moved stones from Ireland. Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote that he believed Stonehenge was built in memory of past nobles. He wrote that, Merlin, a powerful and wise wizard told a king to go to Ireland and bring back a sacred stone structure to be found there. An army was sent to retrieve the stones. Before they could take the stones, they were to defeat the Irish army, which they did. After they defeated the Irish, they were to bring the stones back to England, but were unable to do so. Merlin then erected "wondrous engines", and moved the stones across the water. After he got to England, he re-erected the stones with ease. Although his story may be fanciful, it reflects the way archaeologists believe the stones were moved. Professor Richard J.C. Atkinson, an excavator of Stonehenge in the 1950`s, concluded the stones were probably moved on rafts along the western coast of England (and Wales), and then up the Avon River on canoes, made of hollowed out tree trunks hooked together. They were not quite the "wondrous engines" of Merlin, yet they conquered a large task for that time. |
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