Stone circle

{{about|ancient megalithic stone circles||Stone circle (disambiguation)}}

File:Swinside (p4160146).jpg stone circle, Cumbria, England]]

File:Bryn Cader Faner stone circle - geograph.org.uk - 185579.jpg, North Wales, a Welsh ring cairn / tumulus often misinterpreted as a stone circle]]

A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built between 3300 and 2500 BC. The best known examples include those at the henge monument at Avebury, the Rollright Stones, Castlerigg, and elements within the ring of standing stones at Stonehenge.{{Cite book |last=Ibbotson |first=Adam Morgan |title=Cumbria's Prehistoric Monuments |publisher=History Press |year=2024 |edition=2nd |location=UK}} Scattered examples exist from other parts of Europe. Later, during the Iron Age, stone circles were built in southern Scandinavia.

The archetypical stone circle is an uncluttered enclosure, large enough to congregate inside, and composed of megalithic stones. Often similar structures are named 'stone circle', but these names are either historic, or incorrect. Examples of commonly misinterpreted stone circles are ring cairns, burial mounds, and kerb cairns. Although it is often assumed there are thousands of stone circles across the British Isles and Europe, such enclosures are actually very rare, and constitute a regional form of henge. Examples of true stone circles include Long Meg and Her Daughters in Cumbria, henges with inner stones such as Avebury in Wiltshire, and The Merry Maidens in Cornwall.

Stone circles are usually grouped in terms of the shape and size of the stones, the span of their radius, and their population within the local area. Although many theories have been advanced to explain their use, usually related to providing a setting for ceremony or ritual, no consensus exists among archaeologists regarding their intended function. Their construction often involved considerable communal effort, including specialist tasks such as planning, quarrying, transportation, laying the foundation trenches, and final construction.Richards, Colin. Building the Great Stone Circles of the North. Windgather Press, 2013. pp. 3–4

Dates and archaeology

Growing evidence suggests that megalithic constructions began as early as 5000 BC in northwestern France{{cite journal |last1=Paulsson |first1=B. Schulz |title=Radiocarbon dates and Bayesian modeling support maritime diffusion model for megaliths in Europe |journal=PNAS |date=February 26, 2019 |volume=116 |issue=9 |pages=3460–3465 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1813268116 |pmc=6397522 |pmid=30808740|bibcode=2019PNAS..116.3460S |doi-access=free }} and that the custom and techniques spread via sea routes throughout Europe and the Mediterranean region from there.{{Cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a26304764/stonehenge-might-have-its-roots-with-ancient-sailors-from-france/|title=Stonehenge Might Have Its Roots with Ancient Sailors from France|first=David|last=Grossman|date=February 12, 2019|website=Popular Mechanics}} The Carnac Stones in France are estimated to have been built around 4500 BC,{{cite web |author=Annick Jacq |url=http://www.bretagne-celtic.com/carte_carnac.htm |title=Carnac |publisher=Bretagne-celtic.com |access-date=2009-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204191614/http://www.bretagne-celtic.com/carte_carnac.htm |archive-date=2012-02-04 }} and many of the formations include megalithic stone circles.

The earliest stone circles in Britain were erected 3200–2500 BC,{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/stone-circles-secrets-research-callanish-stenness-scotland-orkney-gail-higginbottom-a7201096.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/stone-circles-secrets-research-callanish-stenness-scotland-orkney-gail-higginbottom-a7201096.html |archive-date=2022-05-25 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=New research reveals the 'spectacular' secrets of Britain's earliest stone circles|date=August 20, 2016|website=The Independent}} during the Middle Neolithic ({{Circa|3200}}–2500 BC). Around that time, stone circles began to be built in the coastal and lowland areas towards the north of the United Kingdom. The Langdale axe industry in the Lake District may have been an important early centre for circle building, perhaps because of its economic power. Many had closely set stones, perhaps similar to the earth banks of henges. Others were constructed from boulders placed stably on the ground rather than standing stones held erect by a foundation trench. Recent research shows that the two oldest stone circles in Britain (Stenness on Orkney and Callanish on the Isle of Lewis) were constructed to align with solar and lunar positions.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161012-the-strange-origin-of-scotlands-stone-circles|title=The Strange Origin of Scotland's Stone Circles|publisher=BBC|date=12 October 2012}}

Most sites do not contain evidence of human dwelling, suggesting that stone circles were constructed for ceremonies.

Sometimes, a stone circle is found in association with a burial pit or burial chamber, but most of these monuments have no such known association because of a lack of archaeological investigation.

Variants

=Recumbent and axial stone circle=

File:Aquhorties Recumbent.jpg recumbent stone circle near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland]]

File:Dunnideer Remnants of Recumbent Stone Circle.JPG, Aberdeenshire, Scotland]]

Recumbent stone circles are a variation containing a single large stone placed on its side. The stones are often ordered by height, with the tallest being the portals, with gradually reducing heights around each side of the circle, down to the recumbent stone, which is the lowest.{{cite book |title=A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany |last=Burl |first=Aubrey |publisher=Yale University Press |year=1995 }} This type is found throughout the British Isles and Brittany, with 71 examples in Scotland{{Cite book |title=Great Crowns of Stone: The Recumbent Stone Circles of Scotland |last=Welfare |first=Adam |publisher=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland |year=2011 |location=Edinburgh |page=271 |url=http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/rcahms_media/files/publications/great_crowns_of_stone.pdf#page=7}} and at least 20 in south-west Ireland. In the latter nation they are generally called axial stone circles, including Drombeg stone circle near Rosscarbery, County Cork.

Scottish recumbent circles are usually flanked by the two largest of the standing stones immediately on either side. These are known as 'flankers'. The stones are commonly graded in height with the lowest stones being diametrically opposite to the tall flankers. The circle commonly contains a ring cairn and cremation remains.

Irish axial stone circles are found in Cork and Kerry counties. These do not have tall flanking stones on either side of the recumbent stone. Instead, there are two tall stones at the side of the circle opposite the recumbent stone. These are known as 'portals', as they form an entrance into the circle. Often the portals are turned so that their flat sides face each other, rather than facing the centre of the circle.

Distribution

Megalithic monuments are found in especially great number on the European Atlantic fringe and in the British Isles.{{cite web |author=Aubrey Burl |title=The Megalith Map |url=http://www.megalith.ukf.net/bigmap.htm |access-date=2006-09-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928065024/http://www.megalith.ukf.net/bigmap.htm |archive-date=2006-09-28 }}

=Great Britain and Ireland=

File:Cornish stone circle.jpg

File:County Cork - Drombeg stone circle - 20150328102444.jpg, County Cork, Ireland]]

File:Carrigagulla 03.jpg complex, County Cork, Ireland]]

There are approximately 1300 stone circles in Britain and Ireland.{{cite book |title=The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany |last=Burl |first=Aubrey |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2000 |location=New Haven |page=[https://archive.org/details/stonecirclesofbr0000burl/page/5 5] |isbn=9780300083477 |url=https://archive.org/details/stonecirclesofbr0000burl |url-access=registration |quote=The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany. }} Experts disagree on whether the construction of megaliths in Britain developed independently or was imported from mainland Europe.

A 2019 comprehensive radiocarbon dating study of megalithic structures across Europe and the British Isles concluded that construction techniques were spread to other communities via sea routes, starting from north-western France. In contrast, the French archaeologist Jean-Pierre Mohen in his book {{lang|fr|Le Monde des Megalithes}} wrote that the British Isles are

"outstanding in the abundance of standing stones, and the variety of circular architectural complexes of which they formed a part ... strikingly original, they have no equivalent elsewhere in Europe – strongly supporting the argument that the builders were independent."

Some theories suggest that invaders from Brittany may have been responsible for constructing Stonehenge.{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/frances-new-stonehenge-secrets-of-a-neolithic-time-machine-5329987.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/frances-new-stonehenge-secrets-of-a-neolithic-time-machine-5329987.html |archive-date=2022-05-25 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=France's new Stonehenge: Secrets of a neolithic time machine|date=July 31, 2006|website=The Independent}}

Although stone circles are widely distributed across the island, Ireland has two main concentrations: in the Cork/Kerry area and in mid-Ulster. The latter typically consist of a greater number of small stones, usually {{nowrap|1' (0.3 metres)}} high, and are often found in upland areas and on sites that also contain a stone alignment. The Cork–Kerry stone circles tend to be more irregular in shape with larger but fewer and more widely-spaced orthostats around the axial stone.Murphy (1997), p.27

=Continental Europe=

Examples can be found throughout Continental Europe, from the Black Sea to Brittany. Locations in France include several in Brittany (two on the island of Er Lannic and two more suggested at Carnac), several in the south of France on the Causse de Blandas{{Cite web|url=https://www.alzon.fr/le-circuit-des-megalithes/|title=Le circuit des Mégalithes}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=6334839|title=Lacam de Peyrarines|website=The Megalithic Portal}} in the Cevennes, in the Pyrenees,{{Cite web|url=https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=20022|title=Senescau Cromlech|website=The Megalithic Portal}} and in the Alps (e.g. the Petit Saint Bernard). One notable stone circle is in the Italian Alps.{{Cite web|url=https://www.regione.vda.it/cultura/patrimonio/siti_archeologici/col_psb/cromlech_i.aspx|title=Cromlech - Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta|website=www.regione.vda.it}} As early as 1579, scholars in Germany described large erect stone circles near Ballenstedt.{{cite book|author=Jan Albert Bakker|title=Megalithic Research in the Netherlands, 1547-1911: From "giant's Beds" and "pillars of Hercules" to Accurate Investigations|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MQiK5ATCL1wC|year=2010|publisher=Sidestone Press|isbn=978-90-8890-034-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MQiK5ATCL1wC/page/n56 47]}} In 2001, a stone circle (Beglik Tash) was discovered in Bulgaria near the Black Sea.

There are several examples in the Alentejo region of Portugal, the oldest and most complete being the Almendres Cromlech near the regional capital of Évora and within its municipality. Remains of many others consist only of the central anta (as they are known in Portugal). This sometimes appears to have been used as an altar but more often as a central burial structure, originally surrounded by megaliths that show only sparsely survived erosion and human activities.{{Cite web|url=http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/background-infonotes/shrines/thracian-cromlech-stone-circle-staro-zhelezare-bulgaria/|title=Thracian Cromlech (Stone Circle) - Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria|work=Archaeology in Bulgaria. and Beyond - Archaeology, History & Nature: the Human - Earth Connection |date=30 June 2015 }}

These circles are also known as harrespil in the Basque country, where villagers call them mairu-baratz or jentil-baratz, meaning "pagan garden (cemetery)". They refer to mythological giants of the pre-Christian era. No example has survived in a good state of preservation, but, like the Alentejo, the Basque Country is dotted with eroded and vandalized examples of many such structures.

=Africa=

Ancient stone circles are found throughout the Horn of Africa. Booco in northeastern Somalia contains a number of such old structures. Small stone circles here surround two enclosed platform monuments, which are set together. The circles of stone are believed to mark associated graves.{{cite book |author=Hussein Mohamed Adam |editor=Charles Lee Geshekter |title=The Proceedings of the First International Congress of Somali Studies – Somali Studies International Association |date=1992 |publisher=Scholars Press |isbn=0891306587 |pages=37, 40 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mM8tAQAAIAAJ|access-date=9 November 2014}}

At Emba Derho in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands, two kinds of megalithic circles are found. The first type consists of single stone circles, whereas the second type comprises an inner circle enclosed within a larger circle (i.e. double stone circles).{{cite book |last1=Institut für Afrikanistik und Aẗhiopistik – Universität Hamburg |title=Aethiopica: International Journal of Ethiopian Studies |volume=7-8 |date=2004 |publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag |page=27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0_svAQAAIAAJ |access-date=1 January 2015}}

File:Senegambian Megaliths.jpg.{{Cite journal |last=Curdy |first=Philippe |date=1982-01-01 |title=Mbolop Tobé (Santhiou Kohel, Sénégal). Contribution à la connaissance du mégalithisme sénégambien |url=https://www.academia.edu/64976455}}]]

The Senegambian stone circles are found on the western side of the continent. The individual groups are dated from 700 A.D. to 1350 A.D, and 1145 sites were mapped in a 1982 study.

= Asia =

In the Near East, possibly the oldest stone circles in the world were found at Atlit Yam (about 8000 BC). The locality is now submerged near the Levantine Mediterranean coast.

Other locations include India or Japan. See more in the relevant Wikipedia category.

References

=Footnotes=

=Sources=

{{cite book |title= The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany |url= https://archive.org/details/stonecirclesofbr0000burl |url-access= registration |last=Burl |first=Aubrey |author-link=Aubrey Burl |year=2000 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven and London |isbn=978-0-300-08347-7 |ref=Bur00}}
{{cite book |title= The Significance of Monuments: On the Shaping of Human Experience in Neolithic and Bronze Age Europe |last=Bradley |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Bradley (archaeologist) |year=1998 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-415-15204-4 |ref=Bra98}}
{{cite book |title= Prehistoric Communities of the British Isles (second edition) |last=Childe |first=V. Gordon |author-link=V. Gordon Childe |year=1947 |publisher= Gilmour & Dean Ltd. |location=Glasgow and London |ref=Chi47}}
{{cite book|last=Murphy | first= Cornelius | title = The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Beara Peninsula, Co. Cork | publisher = Department of Archaeology - University College Cork | year = 1997 }}
{{cite book |title= Understanding the Neolithic |last=Thomas |first=Julian |author-link=Julian Thomas |year=1999 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-415-20767-6 |ref=Tho99}}

=Further reading=

{{cite book |editor=Joanne Parker |year=2009 |title= Written On Stone: The Cultural Reception of British Prehistoric Monuments |publisher=Cambridge Scholars |isbn=978-1-4438-1338-9 }}
{{cite web |url=http://dmr.bsu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/FacLectures&CISOPTR=2667&REC=1 |author=Ronald E. Hicks |year=1981 |title=Henges and stone circles, ritual and archaeoastronomy: archaeological research in Ireland and Great Britain}}