The mob’s (deliberate and cruel)
destruction of the monument shocked the town, especially because the statue had long been treated as a cherished (object surviving from the past)
. Historians noted that one (deviation from what is normal)
in the old maps had already hinted at the site’s importance. To protect what remained, officials moved to (mark the limits of)
the area, though public opinion remained (changing easily)
for weeks. At that time, a (most common)
theory blamed outsiders, but one (person who publicly supports an idea)
of reform argued that local anger was the real cause. His opponents, fierce (strong supporters of a cause)
of tradition, dismissed the claim as (not serious, trivial)
, even though the ruined shrine itself had been a (person or thing that came before)
of later architectural styles in the region.