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Megalithic Paintings
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Littlestone
Littlestone
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Re: Earliest (detailed) sketch of Stonehenge
Mar 23, 2007, 12:44
nigelswift wrote:
Just discovered!

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1957926,00.html


Skill, not strength

Letter from Debby Banham of Cambridge in the March-April 2007 edition of British Archaeology (page 20) -

"Your transcription of the Stonehenge Scala mundi text (Jan/Feb) says that the giants' circle was derecta (a variant of directa, ie set straight, or arranged) by Merlin at Stonehenge, whereas your excellent illustration shows that both manuscripts read deuecta (transported).
Thus your translation is only half right: the Latin says it was 'brought", but not "erected" (in any case, neither verb could mean both). So whereas the Brut version of the story clearly does have Merlin dismantling the monument in Ireland and reassembling it in England, the Scala mundi version could equally well mean that he moved it bodily, without all the bother of self-assembly. After all, the text does say he did it non vi sed arte; not by strength but by skill."
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Earliest (detailed) sketch of Stonehenge (nigelswift)
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