The Standing Stones of Stenness is a Neolithic monument five miles northeast of Stromness on Orkney. This may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Various traditions associated with the stones survived into the modern era and they form part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. They are looked after by Historic Scotland as a scheduled monument.
The surviving stones are sited on a promontory at the south bank of the stream that joins the southern ends of the sea loch Loch of Stenness and the freshwater Loch of Harray. The name, which is pronounced stane-is in Orcadian dialect, comes from Old Norse meaning stone headland. The stream is now bridged, but at one time was crossed by a stepping stone causeway, and the Ring of Brodgar lies about 0.75 miles away to the north-west, across the stream and near the tip of the isthmus formed between the two lochs. Maeshowe chambered cairn is about 0.75 miles to the east of the Standing Stones of Stenness and several other Neolithic monuments also lie in the vicinity, suggesting that this area had particular importance.
Although the site today lacks the encircling ditch and bank, excavation has shown that this used to be a henge monument, possibly the oldest in the British Isles. The stones are thin slabs, approximately 12 in thick with sharply angled tops. Four, up to about 16 ft high, were originally elements of a stone circle of up to 12 stones, laid out in an ellipse about 105 ft diameter on a levelled platform of 144 ft diameter surrounded by a ditch. The ditch is cut into rock by as much as 6.6 ft and is 23 ft wide, surrounded by an earth bank, with a single entrance causeway on the north side. The entrance faces towards the Neolithic Barnhouse Settlement which has been found adjacent to the Loch of Harray.
The Watch Stone stands outside the circle to the north-west and is 18 ft high. Once there were at least two stones there, as in the 1930s the stump of a second stone was found. Other smaller stones include a square stone setting in the centre of the circle platform where cremated bone, charcoal and pottery were found. This is referred to as a "hearth", similar to the one found at Barnhouse. Animal bones were found in the ditch. The pottery links the monument to Skara Brae and Maeshowe. Based on radiocarbon dating, it is thought that work on the site had begun by 3100 BC
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Stones_of_Stenness
Tags: The Watch Stone Standing Stones of Stenness Stenness Mainland Orkney
© All Rights Reserved
The Standing Stones of Stenness is a Neolithic monument five miles northeast of Stromness on Orkney. This may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Various traditions associated with the stones survived into the modern era and they form part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. They are looked after by Historic Scotland as a scheduled monument.
The surviving stones are sited on a promontory at the south bank of the stream that joins the southern ends of the sea loch Loch of Stenness and the freshwater Loch of Harray. The name, which is pronounced stane-is in Orcadian dialect, comes from Old Norse meaning stone headland. The stream is now bridged, but at one time was crossed by a stepping stone causeway, and the Ring of Brodgar lies about 0.75 miles away to the north-west, across the stream and near the tip of the isthmus formed between the two lochs. Maeshowe chambered cairn is about 0.75 miles to the east of the Standing Stones of Stenness and several other Neolithic monuments also lie in the vicinity, suggesting that this area had particular importance.
Although the site today lacks the encircling ditch and bank, excavation has shown that this used to be a henge monument, possibly the oldest in the British Isles. The stones are thin slabs, approximately 12 in thick with sharply angled tops. Four, up to about 16 ft high, were originally elements of a stone circle of up to 12 stones, laid out in an ellipse about 105 ft diameter on a levelled platform of 144 ft diameter surrounded by a ditch. The ditch is cut into rock by as much as 6.6 ft and is 23 ft wide, surrounded by an earth bank, with a single entrance causeway on the north side. The entrance faces towards the Neolithic Barnhouse Settlement which has been found adjacent to the Loch of Harray.
The Watch Stone stands outside the circle to the north-west and is 18 ft high. Once there were at least two stones there, as in the 1930s the stump of a second stone was found. Other smaller stones include a square stone setting in the centre of the circle platform where cremated bone, charcoal and pottery were found. This is referred to as a "hearth", similar to the one found at Barnhouse. Animal bones were found in the ditch. The pottery links the monument to Skara Brae and Maeshowe. Based on radiocarbon dating, it is thought that work on the site had begun by 3100 BC
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Stones_of_Stenness
Tags: The Watch Stone Standing Stones of Stenness Stenness Mainland Orkney
© All Rights Reserved
The Standing Stones of Stenness is a Neolithic monument five miles northeast of Stromness on Orkney. This may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Various traditions associated with the stones survived into the modern era and they form part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. They are looked after by Historic Scotland as a scheduled monument.
The surviving stones are sited on a promontory at the south bank of the stream that joins the southern ends of the sea loch Loch of Stenness and the freshwater Loch of Harray. The name, which is pronounced stane-is in Orcadian dialect, comes from Old Norse meaning stone headland. The stream is now bridged, but at one time was crossed by a stepping stone causeway, and the Ring of Brodgar lies about 0.75 miles away to the north-west, across the stream and near the tip of the isthmus formed between the two lochs. Maeshowe chambered cairn is about 0.75 miles to the east of the Standing Stones of Stenness and several other Neolithic monuments also lie in the vicinity, suggesting that this area had particular importance.
Although the site today lacks the encircling ditch and bank, excavation has shown that this used to be a henge monument, possibly the oldest in the British Isles. The stones are thin slabs, approximately 12 in thick with sharply angled tops. Four, up to about 16 ft high, were originally elements of a stone circle of up to 12 stones, laid out in an ellipse about 105 ft diameter on a levelled platform of 144 ft diameter surrounded by a ditch. The ditch is cut into rock by as much as 6.6 ft and is 23 ft wide, surrounded by an earth bank, with a single entrance causeway on the north side. The entrance faces towards the Neolithic Barnhouse Settlement which has been found adjacent to the Loch of Harray.
The Watch Stone stands outside the circle to the north-west and is 18 ft high. Once there were at least two stones there, as in the 1930s the stump of a second stone was found. Other smaller stones include a square stone setting in the centre of the circle platform where cremated bone, charcoal and pottery were found. This is referred to as a "hearth", similar to the one found at Barnhouse. Animal bones were found in the ditch. The pottery links the monument to Skara Brae and Maeshowe. Based on radiocarbon dating, it is thought that work on the site had begun by 3100 BC
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Stones_of_Stenness
Tags: The Watch Stone Standing Stones of Stenness Stenness Mainland Orkney
© All Rights Reserved
The Standing Stones of Stenness is a Neolithic monument five miles northeast of Stromness on Orkney. This may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Various traditions associated with the stones survived into the modern era and they form part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. They are looked after by Historic Scotland as a scheduled monument.
The surviving stones are sited on a promontory at the south bank of the stream that joins the southern ends of the sea loch Loch of Stenness and the freshwater Loch of Harray. The name, which is pronounced stane-is in Orcadian dialect, comes from Old Norse meaning stone headland. The stream is now bridged, but at one time was crossed by a stepping stone causeway, and the Ring of Brodgar lies about 0.75 miles away to the north-west, across the stream and near the tip of the isthmus formed between the two lochs. Maeshowe chambered cairn is about 0.75 miles to the east of the Standing Stones of Stenness and several other Neolithic monuments also lie in the vicinity, suggesting that this area had particular importance.
Although the site today lacks the encircling ditch and bank, excavation has shown that this used to be a henge monument, possibly the oldest in the British Isles. The stones are thin slabs, approximately 12 in thick with sharply angled tops. Four, up to about 16 ft high, were originally elements of a stone circle of up to 12 stones, laid out in an ellipse about 105 ft diameter on a levelled platform of 144 ft diameter surrounded by a ditch. The ditch is cut into rock by as much as 6.6 ft and is 23 ft wide, surrounded by an earth bank, with a single entrance causeway on the north side. The entrance faces towards the Neolithic Barnhouse Settlement which has been found adjacent to the Loch of Harray.
The Watch Stone stands outside the circle to the north-west and is 18 ft high. Once there were at least two stones there, as in the 1930s the stump of a second stone was found. Other smaller stones include a square stone setting in the centre of the circle platform where cremated bone, charcoal and pottery were found. This is referred to as a "hearth", similar to the one found at Barnhouse. Animal bones were found in the ditch. The pottery links the monument to Skara Brae and Maeshowe. Based on radiocarbon dating, it is thought that work on the site had begun by 3100 BC
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Stones_of_Stenness
Tags: The Watch Stone Standing Stones of Stenness Stenness Mainland Orkney
© All Rights Reserved
The Standing Stones of Stenness is a Neolithic monument five miles northeast of Stromness on Orkney. This may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Various traditions associated with the stones survived into the modern era and they form part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. They are looked after by Historic Scotland as a scheduled monument.
The surviving stones are sited on a promontory at the south bank of the stream that joins the southern ends of the sea loch Loch of Stenness and the freshwater Loch of Harray. The name, which is pronounced stane-is in Orcadian dialect, comes from Old Norse meaning stone headland. The stream is now bridged, but at one time was crossed by a stepping stone causeway, and the Ring of Brodgar lies about 0.75 miles away to the north-west, across the stream and near the tip of the isthmus formed between the two lochs. Maeshowe chambered cairn is about 0.75 miles to the east of the Standing Stones of Stenness and several other Neolithic monuments also lie in the vicinity, suggesting that this area had particular importance.
Although the site today lacks the encircling ditch and bank, excavation has shown that this used to be a henge monument, possibly the oldest in the British Isles. The stones are thin slabs, approximately 12 in thick with sharply angled tops. Four, up to about 16 ft high, were originally elements of a stone circle of up to 12 stones, laid out in an ellipse about 105 ft diameter on a levelled platform of 144 ft diameter surrounded by a ditch. The ditch is cut into rock by as much as 6.6 ft and is 23 ft wide, surrounded by an earth bank, with a single entrance causeway on the north side. The entrance faces towards the Neolithic Barnhouse Settlement which has been found adjacent to the Loch of Harray.
The Watch Stone stands outside the circle to the north-west and is 18 ft high. Once there were at least two stones there, as in the 1930s the stump of a second stone was found. Other smaller stones include a square stone setting in the centre of the circle platform where cremated bone, charcoal and pottery were found. This is referred to as a "hearth", similar to the one found at Barnhouse. Animal bones were found in the ditch. The pottery links the monument to Skara Brae and Maeshowe. Based on radiocarbon dating, it is thought that work on the site had begun by 3100 BC
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Stones_of_Stenness
Tags: The Watch Stone Standing Stones of Stenness Stenness Mainland Orkney
© All Rights Reserved