232 The Amorpholithic Monuments of Brittany. [April, 



(4.) Being neither temples nor town-halls, nor even sepul- 

 chres, they must be trophies — the memorial of some great 

 battle or battles. 



So far as to Mr. Fergusson's conclusion as to their inter- 

 pretation — next, as to their date : — 



(1.) Caesar never mentioned them, therefore they could 

 not have existed when he wrote his Commentaries. 



(2.) No mediaeval rhapsodist ever attempted to give them 

 a pre-Roman origin. 



(3.) The event represented by these stone-rows therefore 

 is limited to the period which elapsed between the overthrow 

 of the Roman power by Maximus, a.d. 383, and the time 

 when the people of the country were converted to Chris- 

 tianity in the early part of the sixth century. 



(4.) Finally, Grallon was engaged in two wars — one against 

 the Romans, and the other against the Norse pirates — and 

 it is to this, as connecting the stone monuments with a 

 northern people, that Fergusson is inclined to ascribe the 

 erection of the Carnac alignments. In fact, they com- 

 memorate a battle or campaign fought between the years 

 380 and 550 a.d., the Arthurian age. 



It may be safely left to our readers to decide whether 

 they are satisfied with this decision, after perusal of the 

 foregoing notes ; but we cannot conclude without observing 

 that if the Veneti erected the lines of amorpholiths, whether 

 they were temples, sepulchres, trophies, or town-halls, 

 they would have certainly handed down to their present 

 descendants, the modern Morbihannais, their true character 

 and meaning, which at present is as much an obscure 

 enigma to them as it is to all who have yet enquired 

 into this subject. It is to be hoped that a more satisfac- 

 tory conclusion than that of Mr. Fergusson's may yet be 

 arrived at. 



