 | |
  Shown within Bulgaria | |
| Location | Rhodope Mountains |
|---|---|
| Region | Bulgaria |
| Coordinates | 41°40′52″N25°48′46″E / 41.681°N 25.812817°E |
| Type | Cromlech |
| History | |
| Periods | Iron Age |
The Dolni Glavanak Cromlech is an oval stone circle located 2 kilometres west of village of Dolni Glavanak, some 12 kilometres from town of Madzharovo, in Bulgaria. [1] The site is referred to as a cromlech by analogy with similar monuments in Western Europe, but it is the only structure of its kind known in the country. [2]
The site is situated on a low ridge-top above the left bank of the Arda river. [2] It is enclosed on all sides and isolated from external influences. [1] The circle consists of vertical, roughly-shaped, blocks of local hard volcanic rock (rhyodacite). [2] The blocks are trapezoidal in shape, and are approximately 1.2 to 1.5 metres tall, and around 0.9 to 1.2 metres wide at the base, and 0.4 to 0.6 metres thick. [2] Nine blocks still stand and three are now fallen. The vertical blocks are spaced at regular intervals, with smaller stones placed horizontally between them. [2] The circle has an internal diameter of about 10 metres. There is an entrance on the southeast side. [2]
There are two smaller structures in the vicinity. [2] One is a 3-metre-wide oval enclosure constructed out of stones located around 15 metres southeast of the cromlech. [2] The other is a slightly larger oval enclosure of the same type, with a diameter of about 6 metres, located around 19 metres south of the cromlech. [2]
The site was discovered and excavated by Georgi Nehrizov in around 1998–1999. [1] The excavations uncovered decorated pottery, as well as bronze artefacts (a fibula and a pin). [3] These date the construction of the cromlech to the second phase of the Early Iron Age (8th–6th centuries BC). [3] The two stone enclosures were in use around the same time, and finds of burnt human bone suggest a funereal use. [2] The site continued in use into the late Iron Age. [2]
A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The best known examples include those at the henge monument at Avebury, the Rollright Stones, and elements within the ring of standing stones at Stonehenge. Scattered examples exist from other parts of Europe. Later, during the Iron Age, stone circles were built in southern Scandinavia.
A cromlech is a megalithic construction made of large stone blocks. The word applies to two different megalithic forms in English, the first being an altar tomb, as William Borlase first denoted in 1769. A good example is at Carn Llechart. The second meaning of the name "cromlech" in English refers to large stone circles such as those found among the Carnac stones in Brittany, France.
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The Callanish Stones are an arrangement of standing stones placed in a cruciform pattern with a central stone circle, located on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. They were erected in the late Neolithic era, and were a focus for ritual activity during the Bronze Age. They are near the village of Callanish on the west coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
Dolni Glavanak is a village in the municipality of Madzharovo, in Haskovo Province, in southern Bulgaria.
Stannon stone circle is a stone circle located near St. Breward on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England.
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The stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany are a megalithic tradition of monuments consisting of standing stones arranged in rings. These were constructed from 3300 to 900 BCE in Britain, Ireland and Brittany. It has been estimated that around 4,000 of these monuments were originally constructed in this part of north-western Europe during this period. Around 1,300 of them are recorded, the others having been destroyed.
Nordic megalith architecture is an ancient architectural style found in Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia and North Germany, that involves large slabs of stone arranged to form a structure. It emerged in northern Europe, predominantly between 3500 and 2800 BC. It was primarily a product of the Funnelbeaker culture. Between 1964 and 1974, Ewald Schuldt in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania excavated over 100 sites of different types: simple dolmens, extended dolmens, passage graves, great dolmens, unchambered long barrows, and stone cists. In addition, there are polygonal dolmens and types that emerged later, for example, the Grabkiste and Röse. This nomenclature, which specifically derives from the German, is not used in Scandinavia where these sites are categorised by other, more general, terms, as dolmens, passage graves and stone cists.
Hirebenakal or Hirébeṇakal or Hirébeṇakallu is a megalithic site in the state of Karnataka, India. It is among the few megalithic sites in India that can be dated to the 800 BCE to 200 BCE period. The site is located in the Koppal district, some 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of the town of Gangavati and some 35 kilometres (22 mi) from Hospet city. It contains roughly 400 megalithic funerary monuments, that have been dated to the transition period between Neolithic period and the Iron Age. Known locally as eḷu guḍḍagaḷu, their specific name is moryar guḍḍa. Hirebenakal is reported to be the largest necropolis among the 2000 odd megalithic sites found in South India, most of them in the state of Karnataka. Since 1955, it has been under the management of the Dharwad circle of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). On May 19, 2021, it was proposed that Hirebenakal be made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A ring cairn is a circular or slightly oval, ring-shaped, low embankment, several metres wide and from 8 to 20 metres in diameter. It is made of stone and earth and was originally empty in the centre. In several cases the middle of the ring was later used. The low profile of these cairns is not always possible to make out without conducting excavations.
Kingston Russell Stone Circle, also known as the Gorwell Circle, is a stone circle located between the villages of Abbotsbury and Littlebredy in the south-western English county of Dorset. Archaeologists believe that it was likely erected during the Bronze Age. The Kingston Russell ring is part of a tradition of stone circle construction that spread throughout much of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, over a period between 3,300 and 900 BCE. The purpose of such monuments is unknown, although archaeologists speculate that they were likely religious sites, with the stones perhaps having supernatural associations for those who built the circles.
Porlock Stone Circle is a stone circle located on Exmoor, near the village of Porlock in the south-western English county of Somerset. The Porlock ring is part of a tradition of stone circle construction that spread throughout much of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, over a period between 3300 and 900 BCE. The purpose of such monuments is unknown, although archaeologists speculate that the stones represented supernatural entities for the circles' builders.
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Media related to Cromlech near Dolni Glavanak at Wikimedia Commons