 Ring of Brodgar
Created by: * MacMorna Niafer, 2005-12-01 14:41:05
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At the upper end of the ancient Atlantic sea route are the two northernmost circle henges in the British Isles, the standing stones of Stenness and the ring of Brodgar. They stand just a mile apart at the ends of a narrow isthmus of land between the lochs of Stenness and Harray.
Brodgar is a henge, a 103.6 meter circle inside a rock-hewn ditch 142 meters in diameter, exactly 125 megalithic yards. The site is circular, with an apparent north-south axis. It is situated on an east-facing slope, perhaps because no level ground could be found for the construction of such a large ring. It is the third largest stone circle in the British Isles. Only the outer stone ring at Avebury and the Greater Ring at Stanton Drew (both in England) are larger. Coincidentally or not, Brogar is the same size as the inner ring of Avebury. Compared to the mammoth megaliths of Stenness, Brodgar's stones are much smaller, ranging in height from 7 to 15 feet (2.1 to 4.7 meters) tall. Its tallest stones stand in the west and south. There are two entrance causeways, in the northwest and southeast.
The makers of the ring of Brodgar painstakingly chipped a huge circular ditch out of the sandstone bedrock. This ditch is broader than a street and deeper than a vault. The scrap bits of rock were heaped up in an outer bank that is gone today. It has been estimated that the volume of rock dug out of this ditch was about 4700 cubic meters (167.7 cubic feet). No one knows how many people labored to quarry out this ditch but figures calculate at least 80,000 man-hours were required. That adds up to about three months of continuous digging done by a hundred people.
About sixty long thin slabs of stone were dragged across the ditch over two causeways, at the northeast and southeast of the site. Then these slabs were set up in a perfect circle around the central area. There is a quarry about a mile to the north of Brodgar which is supposed to be the source of the standing stones. The native sandstone naturally breaks into long and tapering planks, making it ideal for the distinctly finger-like megalithic columns.
The inner area of the Ring of Brodgar has never been thoroughly excavated and dated. Generally it is assumed to have been the last of the neolithic monuments built in this part of the Orkneys. If the neighboring Stones of Stenness were put up earlier than Brodgar, which is probably true, then Brodgar may have been built around 2500 BC when the population of the Orkneys was increasing.
Rough stone axes and deliberately broken shaft-hole battle axes of the early Bronze Age have been found in the vicinity of Brodgar. Many stone circles have been connected with prehistoric axe cults, since concentrations of axes (or "elf shot") are often found near them. This cult was widespread in Europe, lasting from neolithic age all the way through to Celtic times. The axe was capable of felling trees, plowing fields and, amazingly, striking sparks that kindled flames. It may have been thought to have divine associations with sky or sun gods or at least a strong kinship with fire. Axes were a symbol of natural power, especially significant at times of the year when the sun was celebrated. A places where axes were bartered must have been a combination of marketplace and temple, where trade and ritual walked side by side.
We can speculate that both Brodgar and Stenness were meeting places at the borders of territories marked off by the isthmus between the lochs. It seems certain that Brodgar, Stenness and the chambered tombs in the mound of Maes Howe were all part of one important community complex, although we may never know the significance of it all.
Today Brodgar is in much better condition than Stenness. Most of its original stones have been re-erected. The site was taken over by the state in 1906 and most of the stones that had fallen were put back into their places. Now 27 of Brodgar's stones are standing out of the 29 originally re-erected. The two missing ones were marred by lightning strikes.
For more about Brodgar -
Click on this link for a gem of local folklore, The Dancing Giants of Brodgar.
See a set of awe-inspiring photographs here.
And for a look at the wide range of appearances presented by Brodgar through changing seasons and times of the day, click here.
References:
The Stone Circles of the British Isles by Aubrey Burl, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1976
Rings of Stone: The prehistoric stone circles of Britain and Ireland by Aubrey Burl, Ticknor & Fields (USA)1980
Article by Flidais Niafer
Welcome to The Ring of Brodgar (- posts)
