POXWELL CIRCLE. 153 



spread gradually over Asia, including Arabia, India, and Syria, 

 and through Europe to Gaul and Britain. Megalithic remains of 

 a similar character to those found in this land are to be seen in 

 all these countries. 



It is further supposed that most of these remains (not, of 

 course, beehive huts) are sepulchral, or connected with sepulchral 

 worship. If this theory should prove generally correct I suppose 

 it is possible that these circles may have been used for the 

 double purpose ; for interment, for it has been proved that there 

 have been interments in some of these smaller circles, and 

 for sepulchral rites, and for rites connected with the worship of 

 the spirits of the departed. The Roman mausoleum was some- 

 times thus used for rites in connection with the departed as well 

 as for a memorial of him, and a place to contain his ashes. 

 A Roman tomb outside the gate of Pompeii still contains, besides 

 the ashes of the dead, a funeral triclinium, upon which food was 

 offered, probably on the festival called Feralia, and some rites 

 performed to the manes of the departed. 



Recent investigations by scientists have somewhat shifted the 

 ground of the enquiry. It is now held by many that the cradle 

 of the Aryan dolichocephalic race was Europe, not central Asia, 

 and that the Asian Indo-Iranians were a migration from the 

 main body in Europe. Stonehenge is " generally assigned by 

 Archaeologists," so Dr. Taylor states, " to the brachycephalic 

 (Celtic) race, which first introduced bronze weapons and Aryan 

 speech into Britain." The arguments are all most interesting, 

 and will be found fully stated in Dr. Taylor's " The Origin of 

 the Aryans," and Elton's " Origins of English History." I will 

 not take up your time by entering into them here, as they are not 

 directly connected with my subject. It will suffice to say that 

 the theories concerning these structures generally assign them 

 either to the primitive dolichocephalic race, which inhabited 

 these islands in neolithic times, or the Celtic brachycephalic race 

 which settled here at the close of that period. 



There now seems to be a new theory that these stone monu- 

 ments and circles were constructed by the Phoenicians, who had 



