984 
are still remaining in Wales, Corn. 
wall, Cumberland, Scotland, Ire- 
land, and other parts of the British 
‘islands ; also in Brittany, Denmark, 
&c. but the most considerable in 
size, and popular in estimation, are 
those of Stonehenge, and Avebury, 
in Wiltshire. The former has ob- 
tained extraordinary celebrity ; but 
the temple at the latter place, though 
upon a much more stupendous 
scale, and surprising plan, is seldom 
alluded to by antiquaries, and 
scarcely knowneven toEnglishmen.* 
Its centre consisted of a circular 
range of immense stones, one hun- 
dred in numb@, with four other 
circles within the area. ‘The whole 
was environed with a deep ditch, 
- and high bank. Diverging from 
this were two avenues, or double 
rows of upright stones, which ex- 
tended a mile each way from the 
centre, and at the extremity of one 
of these avenues, were two oval 
ranges of upright stones. 
It was, and still is, the custom of 
many nations to worship the sun, 
the moon, fire, ‘or some other visi- 
ble object, in the open air; either 
onthe summit of a mountain,+ or 
within the area of a raised bank,t+ 
&c. for, with more sublime, than 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
rational ideas, they deemed it im. 
proper to confine their devotions 
within stone walls. The roof of 
their temple was the immense con- 
cave of the heavens, and the field of 
vision embraced the whole circled 
horizon. The Persians, Scythians, 
Numidians, Bithynians, Celte.§ &c. 
according to the testimonies of most 
writers, adopted this grand system 
of worship. In the southern regions, 
and in temperate climates, such cus- 
tom was easily persisted in; but in 
the northern’ countries,. where 
storms, and snows, and frosts, often 
prevailed, it was found necessary to 
guard against the inclemency of sea- 
sons, by resorting to caves, or erect~ 
ing appropriate buildings. 
The first regular sacred struc- 
tures, according to the opinions of 
Herodotus and Strabo, were erec- 
ted by the Egyptians ; but the most 
ancient temples and tabernables that 
we find described, are those of the 
tabernacle in the wilderness, made 
by Moses, and the splendid temple 
of Solomon.|| Forbearing any fur- 
ther observations on temples in ge- 
neral, F will now briefly notice a 
few of those only, which are built 
on a circular plan. ‘Though we 
may fairly suppose that Greece, in 
the 
* Stukeley wrote a dissertationon it, which he published in a folio volume, 
with numerous plates, in 1748 ; but as this work is scarce and dear, it is only to 
be found in the libraries of the curious, and consequently is only read by afew 
persons. 
+ In Homer, among other instances, the picty of Hector is commended by 
Jupiter, for the many sacrifices made by him on the tap of mount Ida. 
{ From the remaining examples of druidical temples, we infer that all were en- 
circled witha mound of earth, or vallum, and a ditch. © 
§ Pausanias writes, that the Thracians used to build their temples reund, and 
open at the top: 
|| See ample accounts of these, and other sacred temples, with plates, in Calmet's 
Dictionary of the Bible, 2 vel. 4te. 1801, and in a volume of Iliustrative Fragments, 
by C. Taylor, 
4 Round temples are characterized by Vitruvius by the terms-of monopteral, 
1, €, those without walls or cells, but with a cupola raised on ty and perip- 
teral, which have detached columns, with an enclosed wall within, 
rC. 
