Stone circle

A stone circle is a circular space, delimited by purposefully erected stones and often containing burials. They should not be confused with henges or isolated monoliths, although all these features are often encountered together. Nor should they be confused with earlier rings, such as the Goseck circle in Saxony-Anhalt, that may have served similar religious/calendrical/astronomical purposes, though at a much earlier epoch. Archaeological evidence, coupled with information from astronomers, geologists and mathematicians, implies that the purpose of stone circles was connected with prehistoric peoples' beliefs and that their construction can shed light on ancient engineering, social organisation, religion and, for want of a better word, science. Their precise function however will probably always remain open to debate.

Related Topics:
Henge - Monolith - Goseck circle - Saxony-Anhalt - Astronomers - Geologists - Mathematicians - Engineering - Religion - Science

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Prehistoric stone circles are found as megalithic monuments in the British Isles, with two confimed examples in Brittany on the island of Er Lannic and two more suggested at Carnac. The Petit Saint Bernard circle lies further afield, in the French Alps.

Related Topics:
Megalithic - British Isles - Brittany - Er Lannic - Carnac - Petit Saint Bernard

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In Scandinavia, there was a tradition of making stone circles during the Iron Age and especially in Götaland. The appearance of these circles in northern Poland is considered to be a characteristic of the migrating Goths (see Stone Circle (Iron Age) and Wielbark Culture).

Related Topics:
Scandinavia - Iron Age - Götaland - Goths - Stone Circle (Iron Age) - Wielbark Culture

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There was a separate period of stone circle building from the eighth to the twelfth century in West Africa. The best known are the Senegambian stone circles, built as funerary monuments, with more than a thousand known. Other stone circles can be found on the Adrar Plateau in Mauritania.

Related Topics:
West Africa - Senegambian stone circles - Adrar Plateau - Mauritania

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Stone circle construction has become popular since the 1970s, built either for purely monumental purposes or to serve a particular mystical purpose. The new stone circles typically lack henges or other auxillary features and are not on a particular alignment. Notable examples include the Swan Circle at the Glastonbury Festival, while Stonehenge at Maryhill (ultimately built of concrete rather than stone) is an early example, being completed in 1918.

Related Topics:
1970s - Monumental - Swan Circle - Glastonbury Festival - Stonehenge at Maryhill - Concrete - 1918

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