Hill O Many Stanes

Highland, United Kingdom

The Hill O Many Stanes is an area with about 200 upright stones, none more than a metre high. The rows are not parallel, however, and they create a fan-shaped pattern. This arrangement is believed to be a relic of Bronze Age times.

In Megalithic Lunar Observatories (Oxford University Press, 1971) Alexander Thom presented evidence that the stone rows were in effect a Bronze Age lunar observatory, tracking lunar movements over a cycle of 18.6 years. However, more than twenty similar stone rows are now known in Caithness and Sutherland and none of the others has been linked with astronomical observations.

In Britain stone rows of this kind are unknown outside Caithness and Sutherland, but similar rows of much taller stones are found in Brittany, France.

References:

Wikipedia

Prehistoric and archaeological sites in United Kingdom

Address

Highland, United Kingdom

See all sites in Highland

Details

Founded: 2000 BC
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in United Kingdom

More Information

www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
en.wikipedia.org
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Grey Cairns of Camster (6,7 km)

Urquhart Castle (133,5 km)
Eilean Donan Castle (180,3 km)
Dunrobin Castle (58,1 km)
Glenfinnan Viaduct (209 km)
Culloden Battlefield (108,2 km)
Ardvreck Castle Ruins (106,2 km)
Castle of Mey (35,5 km)
Old St Peter's Church (34,8 km)
Tioram Castle Ruins (232,3 km)

User Reviews

Claire Bevan (2 years ago)
Really fascinating place to visit less than 50 meters from the road, via a gate. Not wheelchair friendly but I did manage it on my crutches. It is uneven and boggy under foot but worth a visit

Vanessa Martin (3 years ago)
Amazing story surrounding these stones. Just had to go and soak up the history

Robert Hetherington (3 years ago)
Very mysterious the way the stones are layed out, board says could be 3 to 4 thousand year old graves worth a look if your passing

Lee Jarvis (3 years ago)
A quick detour that's peaceful and mildly interesting.

Callum Chapman (3 years ago)
It is, in fact, a hill. With lots of stones. And no one can figure out why. Can't say it massively impressive, or worth seeing. Name checks out

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright gwpics

Historic Site of the week

Abbey of Saint-Georges

Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.

The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).