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Show r'r Tourist damage jt- , V 1 &( Stonehenge to be closed off by Jay Clarke Knight-Ridd- Writer er ANOTHER OF the worlds great monuments is a about to be closed off to tourists. By rope will be put up to keep visitors from walking among the great monoliths of famed Stonehenge, Britains second most popular tourist attraction. Youll be able to look, but not to touch, this prehistoric circle of great stones whose origin and function remain one of the worlds most celebrated mysteries. It wont be the first time a famous tourist attraction has had to be closed because of tourist pollution. Two years ago, Greek authorities roped off the Parthenon atop the Acropolis in Athens because the stones were deteriorating so badly. And in the past year, Britons have been told they no longer can take a bath in the ancient Roman baths at Bath. ; i ; ITie prehistoric monoliths at Stonehenge, one of Britains most famous tourist attractions, is being closed off before tourists deface it further. AT STONEHENGE, which draws 750,000 visitors a year, the coming ban on close-u- p viewing is really the tourists own fault. British authorities say visitors have been despoiling the place breaking off pieces of the stones as souvenirs, rubbing away ancient markings on the stones and writing graffiti everywhere. We have reached the moment of decision for Stonehenge, said Lady Birk, undersecretary of state for the environment, last December when the ropmg-of- f proposal was first made. Either we protect it or we continue to allow people to trample over the site and leave postenty to look after itself. For now, at least, the decision seems to be in favor of helping posterity and saving Stonehenge. What posteritys tourists will see, hopefully, is the same great configuration of stones on the Salisbury plain which has fascinated the world for many hundreds of years. STONEHENGE was first mentioned as one of the wonders of Britain early in the 12th Century, but it was not until around 1600 that questions began to be raised about its origin and purpose. Serious archeological excavations and studies were not begun until 1901 despite the many legends that grew up around the mysterious monoliths. CHRISTMAS I " Built in three periods between 2200 and 1300 B C., Stonehenge consists basically of a group of huge standing stones in a circle about 100 feet in diameter. This circle encloses a smaller circle of stone and the raised entire complex lies within a doughnut of earth. Many theories have been raised about the builders of Stonehenge and their purpose, some of them rather fanciful. Until the early 1900s, it was considered to be the ruins of a Druid temple in Celtic Britain, but this theory has largely been discarded. IN MORE RECENT TIMES, Boston Universitys G. S. Hawkins has theorized that Stonehenge was a Neolithic computer for predicting eclipses and the movements of the sun and moon. Astronomer Fred Hoyle of Cambndge University postulated in 1966 that the structure was a prehistoric observatory. Most scientists today believe the structure was connected to the Mediterranean culture than dominant in Bronze Age Europe, citing the discovery of Mycenae-lik- e objects in nearby burial grounds from the same period. But this theory, too, has been challenged recently. DISNEYLAND ' Depart Dec. 29th B 2 Nights Las Vegas, 3 Nights -- ah and YUCATAN 5 959 Tranmsportation. 2 I Days I Departs Dec. J 29th 1 Includes Transportation. Night Reno, 1 Night San Francisco, 1 Night San Simeon, 2 Nights Los Angeles, 2 Nights San Diego and -return via Las Vegas. Includes B Reserved Seat Hearst Castle, B Rose Parade, Disneyland Tijuana. Total Cost $225 00 Per ? B I Person. 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Tijuana. neyland $170.00 Per Person, AMERICA Jan. 1 2. 1 SAN DIEGO Departs Dec. 29th Includes CENTRAL Panama et al B ROSE PARADE TOUR We proudly present our ever popular Rose Parade Tour which includes Las Vegas San Diego and Hollywood We have many fun activities including Sea World Wild Animal Park. Disneyland, all of which is climaxed by an evening with Lawrence Welk and the spectacular Rose Parade This is a great way to spend the holidays This always sells out quickly so send for a brochure now Buena Park, Reserved Seat for Rose Parade, Disneyland & ROSE PARADE & 80-o- 13 ROSE PARADE & Queen Mary. $155.00 Per Person. Archeologist Colin Renfrew, citing more refined carbondating techniques, contended that Stonehenge was a purely local creation, having nothing to do with the Mycenae. That the site has an astronomical connection is fairly well accepted. The axis of Stonehenge points to the midsummer sunrise and, in the opposite direction, to the midwinter sunset. ONE OF THE fascinations about Stonehenge is how it was built. Like the pyramids of Egypt, Stonehenge is constructed of stone brought from afar. The great sarsen stones weighing 25 tons or more each came from the Marlborough Downs more than 20 miles away. Scientists believe they were dragged overland all the way, probably on rough sledges running stones there may have on rollers. To bring the occupied a thousand men for several years. The smaller bluestones used as lintels and in the smaller circle were brought from even farther. Archeologists say they were quarried in the Prescelly Mountains of Wales 240 miles away, rafted across the Bristol Channel, and then carried overland again to Stonehenge. 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