The central obelisk of this temple is of a circular form at base, of a vast bulk, 21 feet long, and 8 feet 9 inches diameter; when standing, higher than the rest. This is what the scripture calls a pillar, or standing image, Levit. xxvi. 1. These works, erected in the land of Canaan by the same people, the Phœnicians, as erected ours, were ordered to be demolished by the Israelites, because at that time perverted to idolatry. All the stones, our whole temple, were called ambres, even by our phœnician founders; but this particularly. The Egyptians by that name call’d their obeliscs; which Kircher did not rightly understand, interpreting it to be sacred books; but meaning petræ ambrosiæ, main ambres in celtic, anointed, consecrated stone; Manah, the name of a great stone of this sort which the Arabians worshipped. They were called likewise, gabal, and the present word kibla or kebla comes from it, but in a larger sense. Elagabalus is hence deriv’d after they turn’d these kiblas into real deities. It means the god obelisc; and hence our english words, gable end of a house, javelin or roman pile, and gaveloc a sharp iron bar.
TAB. XIII.
P. 24.
A View of the Remains of the Northern Temple at Abury. Aug. 1722.
Stukeley del.
A. Abury Steeple. B. the cove. C. Windmill hill.
Exactly in the southern end of the line that connects the two centers of these temples, viz. in that pasture mark’d IX. in our ground-plot, is an odd stone standing, not of great bulk. It has a hole wrought in it, and probably was design’d to fasten the victim, in order for slaying it. This I call the ring-stone. From this we may infer the like use of that stone at Stonehenge, in the avenue near the entrance into the area of the temple. I spoke of it under the name of crwm leche, p. 33. It has a like hole in it.
These two temples were all that was standing originally in the great area, within the circular colonnade. Very probably it was the most magnificent patriarchal temple in the world. Now a whole village of about thirty houses is built within it. This area would hold an immense number of people at their panegyres and public festivals; and when the vallum all around was cover’d with spectators, it form’d a most noble amphitheater, and had an appearance extremely august, during the administration of religious offices.
——ter denas curia vaccas
Accipit, & largo sparsa cruore madet. Ovid. fast. IV.