The Strange History of British Archaeoastronomy
Issued Date: 13 Mar 2014
Abstract
Between 1965 and 1985, British archaeologists found themselves obliged to study the skies as well as the evidence beneath the earth. The sciences of astronomy, mathematics, and statistics bore down on the study of prehistoric monuments as never before, and a series of impressive books and conferences explored the alignments and proportions of ancient ceremonial sites. A quarter of a century later, all this excitement has arguably evaporated. The four different disciplines have largely separated again, and prehistory has been handed back to the excavators. Why have things should have fallen out in this way. Were solid gains in knowledge made during the period in which archaeoastronomy was fashionable? Or was it all just moonshine?
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References
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Atkinson, J. C. 1967. ‘Hoyle on Stonehenge: Some Comments’, Antiquity 41: 92-95.
Atkinson, R. J. C. 1959. Stonehenge and Avebury and Neighbouring Monuments (London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office).
Atkinson, R. J. C. 1975. ‘Megalithic Astronomy: A Prehistorian’s Comments’, Journal of the History of Astronomy 6:51.
Aveni, A. F., (ed.) 1975. Archeoastronomy in Pre-Columbian America. (Austin and
London: University of Texas Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1980. Skywatchers of ancient Mexico. (Austin ; London: University of Texas Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1981. ‘Tropical Archeoastronomy.’ Science 213, no. 4504: 161-171.
Aveni, A. F. 1982. Archaeoastronomy in the New World: American primitive astronomy: proceedings of an international conference held at Oxford University, September 1981. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1988. New directions in American archaeoastronomy: proceedings [of the] 46[th] International Congress of Americanists, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1988. (Oxford: B.A.R.)
Aveni, A. F. 1989.World archaeoastronomy: selected papers from the 2nd Oxford International Conference on Archaeoastronomy held at Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, 13-17 January 1986. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Aveni, A. E. 1990. The lines of Nazca. American Philosophical Society.
Aveni, A. F. 1991. Observadores del cielo en el México antiguo. (Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica).
Aveni, A. F. 1992. The Sky in Mayan literature. (New York: Oxford University Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1993. Ancient astronomers. (Montreal: St. Remy Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1997. Stairways to the stars: skywatching in three great ancient cultures. (New York; Chichester, London: Wile ; Cassell).
Aveni, A. & Mizrachi, Y. 1998. 'The Geometry and Astronomy of Rujm el-Hiri, a Megalithic Site in the Southern Levant'. Journal of Field Archaeology, 25 (4): 475-96.
Aveni, A. & Romano, G. 1994. 'Orientation and Etruscan ritual'. Antiquity, 68 (260): 545-63.
Aveni, A. F. 2000. Nasca : eighth wonder of the world? (London: British Museum Press).
Aveni, A. F. 2001. Skywatchers: A Revised and Updated Version of Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico (Austin: University of Texas Press).
Aveni, A. F. 2003. 'Archaeoastronomy in the Ancient Americas'. Journal of Archaeological Research, 11 (2): 149-91.
Aveni, A. F., Ruggles, C. L. N. & Urton, G. 2007. Skywatching in the Ancient World: New Perspectives in Cultural Astronomy. Studies in Honor of Anthony F. Aveni. (Boulder: University Press of Colorado).
Aveni, A. F. (ed.) 2008. Foundations of New World Cultural Astronomy: A Reader with Commentary, Science. (Boulder: University Press of Colorado).
Barnatt, John and Gordon Moir. 1984. ‘Stone Circles and Megalithic Mathematics’, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 50:197-216.
Burl, Aubrey. 1980. ‘Science or Symbolism’, Antiquity 54: 191-200.
Critchlow, Keith. 1973. Time Stands Still: New Light on Megalithic Science (London: Gordon Fraser Gallery).
Flowers, Thomas William. 2008. Woodhenge Embryology (private publication).
Flowers, Thomas William. 2009. Alexander Thom’s Megalithic Yard (private publication), at http://www.definitivestonehenge.com
Graves, Tom. 1976. Dowsing (Penzance: Turnstone).
Hawkes, Jacquetta. 1976. ‘God in the Machine’, Antiquity 41:174-80.
Hawkins, Gerald S. 1963. ‘Stonehenge Decoded’, Nature 200: 306-8.
Hawkins, Gerald S. 1965. Stonehenge Decoded (New York: Doubleday).
Heath, Robin. 1998. Sun, Moon and Stonehenge (Cardigan: Bluestone Press).
Heath, Robin. 1999. Sun, Moon and Earth (Glastonbury: Wooden Books).
Heath, Robin. 2002. Stonehenge (Glastonbury: Wooden Books).
Heath, Robin. 2007. Alexander Thom (Cardigan: Bluestone Press).
Heath, Robin. 2009. The Moon and Ancient Calendars (Cardigan: Bluestone Press, 2009), at http://www.skyscript.co.uk.
Heggie, Douglas C. 1981. Megalithic Science (London: Thames and Hudson).
Heggie, Douglas C. (ed.). 1982. Archaeoastronomy in the Old World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Hitching, Francis. 1976 Earth Magic (London: Cassell).
Hoskin, Michael. 2001. Tombs, Temples and Their Orientations: A New Perspective on Mediterranean Prehistory. (Bognor Regis: Ocarina Books Ltd).
Hoyle, F. 1966a. ‘Speculations on Stonhenge’, Antiquity 40: 262-76.
Hoyle, F. 1966b. ‘Stonehenge: An Eclipse Predictor’, Nature 211: 454-56.
Hoyle, F. 1967. ‘Hoyle on Stonehenge: Some Comments’, Antiquity 41: 92-95.
Hutton, Ronald. 2008. ‘Modern Pagan Festivals: A Study in the Nature of Tradition’, Folklore 119: 251-73.
Hutton, Ronald. 2009a. Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press).
Hutton, Ronald. 2009b.‘Modern Druidry and Earth Mysteries’, Time and Mind 2.3:313-32.
Krupp, E. C. 1977. Skywatchers, Shamans, and Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power. (New York: Wiley).
Krupp, E. C. 1984. Archaeoastronomy and the Roots of Science. (Epping: Bowker).
Krupp, E.C. 1988. ‘Light in the Temples’. In C.L.N. Ruggles (ed). Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press): 473–499.
Krupp, E. C. Evelyn Billo, Robert Mark. 2010. ‘Star Trek: Recovery and Review of the First Alleged Supernova Rock Art’ in Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of Astronomy in Culture (University of Texas Press) 23: 35–43.
Lockyer, Sir J. N. 1906. Stonehenge and Other British Stone Monuments Astronomically Considered (London: Macmillan).
MacKie, Euan. 1977. Science and Society in Prehistoric Britain (London: Paul Elek).
MacKie, Euan. 2000. ‘Maeshowe and the Winter Solstice’, Antiquity 74: 62-74.
MacKie, Euan. 2002. ‘The Structure and Skills of British Neolithic Society’, Antiquity 76: 666-68.
Metz, Hans. 1988. ‘A Personal Appreciation of Professor Alexander Thom’, in C. L. N. Ruggles (ed.), Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press): 14-30.
Michell, John. 1973. The View Over Atlantis (London: Sphere Books).
Michell, John. 1977. A Little History of Astro-Archaeology (London: Thames and Hudson).
Murphy, Anthony and Richard Moore. 2006. Island of the Setting Sun (Dublin: Liffey Press).
North, John. 1996. Stonehenge: Neolithic Man and the Cosmos (London: HarperCollins).
O'Connell, Aidan. 2013. Harvesting the Stars: A Pagan Temple at Lismullin, Co. Meath, NRA Scheme Monographs 11 (Dublin: National Roads Authority).
O’Sullivan, Muiris. 1993. Megalthic Art in Ireland (Dublin: Town House and Country House).
Pennick, Nigel. 1979. The Ancient Science of Geomancy (London: Thames and Hudson).
Richards, Julian. 2005. Stonehenge (London: English Heritage).
Richards, Julian. 2007. Stonehenge: The Story So Far (London: English Heritage).
Ruggles, Clive and Alisdair Whittle (eds.). 1981. Astronomy and Society in Britain during the Period 4000-1500 BC (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports 88).
Ruggles, Clive. 1984. Megalithic Astronomy: A New Archaeological and Statistical Study of 300 Western Scottish Sites (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports 123).
Ruggles, Clive. 1988a. ‘The Stone Alignments of Argyll and Mull’, in C. Ruggles (ed.), Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press): 232-50.
Ruggles, Clive. (ed.). 1988b. Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom (Cambridge University Press).
Ruggles, Clive. 1997.‘Astronomy and Stonehenge’, in B. Cunliffe and C. Renfrew (eds.), Science and Stonehenge (Oxford: Oxford University Press): 203-29.
Ruggles, Clive. 1999. Astronomy in Prehistoric Britain and Ireland (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press).
Ruggles, Clive. 2001. ‘Astronomy, Cosmology, Monuments and the Landscape in Prehistoric Ireland’, in C. Ruggles, F. Prendergast, and T. Ray (eds.), Astronomy, Cosmology and Landscape (Bognor Regis: Ocarina): 51-2.
Ruggles, Clive, Frank Prendergast, and Tom Ray (eds.). 2001. Astronomy, Cosmology and Landscape (Bognor Regis: Ocarina).
Ruggles, Clive, Bill Burton, David Hughes, Andrew Lawson, and Derek McNally. 2009. Stonehenge and Ancient Astronomy (London: Royal Astronomical Society).
Ruggles, C. L. N. 2011. 'Pushing back the frontiers or still running around the same circles? 'Interpretative archaeoastronomy' thirty years on'. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 7 (Symposium S278): 1-18.
Ruggles, C. L. N. (ed.). 2011. Archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy : building bridges between cultures proceedings of the 278th symposium of the International Astronomical Union and "Oxford IX" International Symposium on Archaeoastronomy held in Lima, Peru, January 5-14, 2011. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Screeton, Paul. 1974. Quicksilver Heritage (Wellingborough: Thorsons).
Somerville, H. Boyle. 1924.‘Orientation in Prehistoric Monuments in the British Isles’, Archaeologia 73:193-224.
Somerville, H. Boyle. 1927.‘Orientation’, Antiquity 1:31-41.
Sorrell, Alan. 1980. Early Wales Recreated (National Museum of Wales).
Stout, Adam. 2008. Creating Prehistory (London: Blackwell).
Thom, Alexander. 1967. Megalithic Sites in Britain (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Thom, Alexander. 1971. Megalithic Lunar Observatories (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Thom, Alexander and Archibald S. Thom. 1978. Megalithic Remains in Britain and Brittany (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Thom, Alexander, Archibald S. Thom, and Aubrey Burl. 1980. Megalithic Rings (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports).
Thom, Alexander, Archibald S. Thom, and Aubrey Burl. 1990. Stone Rows and Standing Stones (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports).
Thom, Archibald S., J. M. D. Ker, and T. R. Burrows. 1988. ‘The Bush Barrow Gold Lozenge’, Antiquity 62: 108-19.
Thom, Archibald S. 1985. ‘A Personal Note About My Late Father’, Archaeoastronomy 8:1-4.
Thom, Archibald S. 1988. ‘A Personal Note About My Late Father’ in C. Ruggles (ed.), Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom (Cambridge University Press): 3-13.
Thom, Archibald S. 1995. Walking in All of the Squares: Alexander Thom, Engineer and Archaeoastronomer (Glendaruel: Argyll Publishing).
Wood, John Edwin. 1978. Sun, Moon and Standing Stones (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Atkinson, J. C. 1967. ‘Hoyle on Stonehenge: Some Comments’, Antiquity 41: 92-95.
Atkinson, R. J. C. 1959. Stonehenge and Avebury and Neighbouring Monuments (London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office).
Atkinson, R. J. C. 1975. ‘Megalithic Astronomy: A Prehistorian’s Comments’, Journal of the History of Astronomy 6:51.
Aveni, A. F., (ed.) 1975. Archeoastronomy in Pre-Columbian America. (Austin and
London: University of Texas Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1980. Skywatchers of ancient Mexico. (Austin ; London: University of Texas Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1981. ‘Tropical Archeoastronomy.’ Science 213, no. 4504: 161-171.
Aveni, A. F. 1982. Archaeoastronomy in the New World: American primitive astronomy: proceedings of an international conference held at Oxford University, September 1981. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1988. New directions in American archaeoastronomy: proceedings [of the] 46[th] International Congress of Americanists, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1988. (Oxford: B.A.R.)
Aveni, A. F. 1989.World archaeoastronomy: selected papers from the 2nd Oxford International Conference on Archaeoastronomy held at Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, 13-17 January 1986. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Aveni, A. E. 1990. The lines of Nazca. American Philosophical Society.
Aveni, A. F. 1991. Observadores del cielo en el México antiguo. (Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica).
Aveni, A. F. 1992. The Sky in Mayan literature. (New York: Oxford University Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1993. Ancient astronomers. (Montreal: St. Remy Press).
Aveni, A. F. 1997. Stairways to the stars: skywatching in three great ancient cultures. (New York; Chichester, London: Wile ; Cassell).
Aveni, A. & Mizrachi, Y. 1998. 'The Geometry and Astronomy of Rujm el-Hiri, a Megalithic Site in the Southern Levant'. Journal of Field Archaeology, 25 (4): 475-96.
Aveni, A. & Romano, G. 1994. 'Orientation and Etruscan ritual'. Antiquity, 68 (260): 545-63.
Aveni, A. F. 2000. Nasca : eighth wonder of the world? (London: British Museum Press).
Aveni, A. F. 2001. Skywatchers: A Revised and Updated Version of Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico (Austin: University of Texas Press).
Aveni, A. F. 2003. 'Archaeoastronomy in the Ancient Americas'. Journal of Archaeological Research, 11 (2): 149-91.
Aveni, A. F., Ruggles, C. L. N. & Urton, G. 2007. Skywatching in the Ancient World: New Perspectives in Cultural Astronomy. Studies in Honor of Anthony F. Aveni. (Boulder: University Press of Colorado).
Aveni, A. F. (ed.) 2008. Foundations of New World Cultural Astronomy: A Reader with Commentary, Science. (Boulder: University Press of Colorado).
Barnatt, John and Gordon Moir. 1984. ‘Stone Circles and Megalithic Mathematics’, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 50:197-216.
Burl, Aubrey. 1980. ‘Science or Symbolism’, Antiquity 54: 191-200.
Critchlow, Keith. 1973. Time Stands Still: New Light on Megalithic Science (London: Gordon Fraser Gallery).
Flowers, Thomas William. 2008. Woodhenge Embryology (private publication).
Flowers, Thomas William. 2009. Alexander Thom’s Megalithic Yard (private publication), at http://www.definitivestonehenge.com
Graves, Tom. 1976. Dowsing (Penzance: Turnstone).
Hawkes, Jacquetta. 1976. ‘God in the Machine’, Antiquity 41:174-80.
Hawkins, Gerald S. 1963. ‘Stonehenge Decoded’, Nature 200: 306-8.
Hawkins, Gerald S. 1965. Stonehenge Decoded (New York: Doubleday).
Heath, Robin. 1998. Sun, Moon and Stonehenge (Cardigan: Bluestone Press).
Heath, Robin. 1999. Sun, Moon and Earth (Glastonbury: Wooden Books).
Heath, Robin. 2002. Stonehenge (Glastonbury: Wooden Books).
Heath, Robin. 2007. Alexander Thom (Cardigan: Bluestone Press).
Heath, Robin. 2009. The Moon and Ancient Calendars (Cardigan: Bluestone Press, 2009), at http://www.skyscript.co.uk.
Heggie, Douglas C. 1981. Megalithic Science (London: Thames and Hudson).
Heggie, Douglas C. (ed.). 1982. Archaeoastronomy in the Old World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Hitching, Francis. 1976 Earth Magic (London: Cassell).
Hoskin, Michael. 2001. Tombs, Temples and Their Orientations: A New Perspective on Mediterranean Prehistory. (Bognor Regis: Ocarina Books Ltd).
Hoyle, F. 1966a. ‘Speculations on Stonhenge’, Antiquity 40: 262-76.
Hoyle, F. 1966b. ‘Stonehenge: An Eclipse Predictor’, Nature 211: 454-56.
Hoyle, F. 1967. ‘Hoyle on Stonehenge: Some Comments’, Antiquity 41: 92-95.
Hutton, Ronald. 2008. ‘Modern Pagan Festivals: A Study in the Nature of Tradition’, Folklore 119: 251-73.
Hutton, Ronald. 2009a. Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press).
Hutton, Ronald. 2009b.‘Modern Druidry and Earth Mysteries’, Time and Mind 2.3:313-32.
Krupp, E. C. 1977. Skywatchers, Shamans, and Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power. (New York: Wiley).
Krupp, E. C. 1984. Archaeoastronomy and the Roots of Science. (Epping: Bowker).
Krupp, E.C. 1988. ‘Light in the Temples’. In C.L.N. Ruggles (ed). Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press): 473–499.
Krupp, E. C. Evelyn Billo, Robert Mark. 2010. ‘Star Trek: Recovery and Review of the First Alleged Supernova Rock Art’ in Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of Astronomy in Culture (University of Texas Press) 23: 35–43.
Lockyer, Sir J. N. 1906. Stonehenge and Other British Stone Monuments Astronomically Considered (London: Macmillan).
MacKie, Euan. 1977. Science and Society in Prehistoric Britain (London: Paul Elek).
MacKie, Euan. 2000. ‘Maeshowe and the Winter Solstice’, Antiquity 74: 62-74.
MacKie, Euan. 2002. ‘The Structure and Skills of British Neolithic Society’, Antiquity 76: 666-68.
Metz, Hans. 1988. ‘A Personal Appreciation of Professor Alexander Thom’, in C. L. N. Ruggles (ed.), Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press): 14-30.
Michell, John. 1973. The View Over Atlantis (London: Sphere Books).
Michell, John. 1977. A Little History of Astro-Archaeology (London: Thames and Hudson).
Murphy, Anthony and Richard Moore. 2006. Island of the Setting Sun (Dublin: Liffey Press).
North, John. 1996. Stonehenge: Neolithic Man and the Cosmos (London: HarperCollins).
O'Connell, Aidan. 2013. Harvesting the Stars: A Pagan Temple at Lismullin, Co. Meath, NRA Scheme Monographs 11 (Dublin: National Roads Authority).
O’Sullivan, Muiris. 1993. Megalthic Art in Ireland (Dublin: Town House and Country House).
Pennick, Nigel. 1979. The Ancient Science of Geomancy (London: Thames and Hudson).
Richards, Julian. 2005. Stonehenge (London: English Heritage).
Richards, Julian. 2007. Stonehenge: The Story So Far (London: English Heritage).
Ruggles, Clive and Alisdair Whittle (eds.). 1981. Astronomy and Society in Britain during the Period 4000-1500 BC (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports 88).
Ruggles, Clive. 1984. Megalithic Astronomy: A New Archaeological and Statistical Study of 300 Western Scottish Sites (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports 123).
Ruggles, Clive. 1988a. ‘The Stone Alignments of Argyll and Mull’, in C. Ruggles (ed.), Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press): 232-50.
Ruggles, Clive. (ed.). 1988b. Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom (Cambridge University Press).
Ruggles, Clive. 1997.‘Astronomy and Stonehenge’, in B. Cunliffe and C. Renfrew (eds.), Science and Stonehenge (Oxford: Oxford University Press): 203-29.
Ruggles, Clive. 1999. Astronomy in Prehistoric Britain and Ireland (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press).
Ruggles, Clive. 2001. ‘Astronomy, Cosmology, Monuments and the Landscape in Prehistoric Ireland’, in C. Ruggles, F. Prendergast, and T. Ray (eds.), Astronomy, Cosmology and Landscape (Bognor Regis: Ocarina): 51-2.
Ruggles, Clive, Frank Prendergast, and Tom Ray (eds.). 2001. Astronomy, Cosmology and Landscape (Bognor Regis: Ocarina).
Ruggles, Clive, Bill Burton, David Hughes, Andrew Lawson, and Derek McNally. 2009. Stonehenge and Ancient Astronomy (London: Royal Astronomical Society).
Ruggles, C. L. N. 2011. 'Pushing back the frontiers or still running around the same circles? 'Interpretative archaeoastronomy' thirty years on'. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 7 (Symposium S278): 1-18.
Ruggles, C. L. N. (ed.). 2011. Archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy : building bridges between cultures proceedings of the 278th symposium of the International Astronomical Union and "Oxford IX" International Symposium on Archaeoastronomy held in Lima, Peru, January 5-14, 2011. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Screeton, Paul. 1974. Quicksilver Heritage (Wellingborough: Thorsons).
Somerville, H. Boyle. 1924.‘Orientation in Prehistoric Monuments in the British Isles’, Archaeologia 73:193-224.
Somerville, H. Boyle. 1927.‘Orientation’, Antiquity 1:31-41.
Sorrell, Alan. 1980. Early Wales Recreated (National Museum of Wales).
Stout, Adam. 2008. Creating Prehistory (London: Blackwell).
Thom, Alexander. 1967. Megalithic Sites in Britain (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Thom, Alexander. 1971. Megalithic Lunar Observatories (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Thom, Alexander and Archibald S. Thom. 1978. Megalithic Remains in Britain and Brittany (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Thom, Alexander, Archibald S. Thom, and Aubrey Burl. 1980. Megalithic Rings (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports).
Thom, Alexander, Archibald S. Thom, and Aubrey Burl. 1990. Stone Rows and Standing Stones (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports).
Thom, Archibald S., J. M. D. Ker, and T. R. Burrows. 1988. ‘The Bush Barrow Gold Lozenge’, Antiquity 62: 108-19.
Thom, Archibald S. 1985. ‘A Personal Note About My Late Father’, Archaeoastronomy 8:1-4.
Thom, Archibald S. 1988. ‘A Personal Note About My Late Father’ in C. Ruggles (ed.), Records in Stone: Papers in Memory of Alexander Thom (Cambridge University Press): 3-13.
Thom, Archibald S. 1995. Walking in All of the Squares: Alexander Thom, Engineer and Archaeoastronomer (Glendaruel: Argyll Publishing).
Wood, John Edwin. 1978. Sun, Moon and Standing Stones (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
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