What is the subject of the Exeter Book poem 'The Ruin'?
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Correct answer: Crumbling stone buildings, likely the Roman ruins at Bath
'The Ruin' describes the crumbling stone walls of a city built by 'giants' (enta geweorc). Because the Anglo-Saxons primarily built with wood, the sight of Roman stone architecture in decay inspired deep elegiac reflection on the passage of time.
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