Dunnideer stone circle

Last updated

Dunnideer
Dunnideer Remnants of Recumbent Stone Circle.JPG
Dunnideer in 2007
Dunnideer stone circle
Aberdeenshire UK location map.svg
Archaeological site icon (red).svg
Shown within Aberdeenshire
LocationScotland
Region Aberdeenshire
Coordinates 57°12′15″N2°23′09″W / 57.2043°N 2.3859°W / 57.2043; -2.3859
OS grid reference NJ609285
Type Recumbent stone circle
History
Periods Neolithic
Site notes
Public accessYes
Designated1925
Identifiers
Historic Environment Scotland SM21

Dunnideer stone circle is a mostly destroyed recumbent stone circle located near Insch in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The three remaining stones lie close to the ruins of Dunnideer Castle. It is a scheduled monument.

Contents

Recumbent stone circles

A recumbent stone circle is a type of stone circle constructed in the early Bronze Age. The identifying feature is that the largest stone (the recumbent) is always laid horizontally, with its long axis generally aligned with the perimeter of the ring between the south and southwest. [1] [2] A flanker stone stands each side of the recumbent and these are typically the tallest stones in the circle, with the smallest being situated on the northeastern aspect. The rest of the circle is usually composed of between six and ten orthostats graded by size. [1] The builders tended to select a site which was on a level spur of a hill with excellent views to other landmarks. [3] Over seventy of these circles are found in lowland Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland – the most similar monuments are the axial stone circles of southwest Ireland. Recumbent stone circles generally enclosed a low ring cairn, though over the millennia these have often disappeared. [2] They may have been a development from the Clava cairns found nearby in Inverness-shire and axial stone circles may have followed the design. [2] [4] Whilst cremated remains have been found at some sites, the precise function of these circles is not known. [5]

History

The Dunnideer stone circle is thought to have been created in the Neolithic age. [6] Several stones are known to have been removed in the 19th century. [7] In John Lesley's Historie of Scotland (1578) he wrote of the circle "Is thair lykwyse a wondirful gret croune of stanes, quhilke rings agane, na vthirwyse than with ane eccho in brasse or coppir". [8] [note 1] It was described as a "druidical circle" but by the 1820s, when it was sketched by James Skene, it had only three or possibly four orthostats. [10] [9] : 353–354  By 1867, the Ordnance Survey reported that there were only three stones. [9] : 353–354  In a paper published in 1902, Frederick Coles confirmed there were three stones and remarked that they were "much disfigured by an accumulation of weeds and rubbish". [11] He also noted that there were several other stone circles and standing stones close by. [11] In a paper published in 1985, Aubrey Burl and Clive Ruggles posited an alternative theory that there were only ever three stones. [12]

The stones are of gabbro and those still standing are the recumbent and its two flankers. The recumbent stands erected and is 2.80 metres (9.19 ft) long, 1.95 metres (6.40 ft) tall and 0.50 metres (1.640 ft) wide. [7] [9] : 170  The two flanker stones have been re-erected: the eastern one stands 2.25 metres (7.38 ft) tall, 1.00 metre (3.28 ft) broad and 0.85 metres (2.789 ft) wide; the western one is 2.00 metres (6.56 ft) long, 1.00 metre (3.28 ft) tall and 0.52 metres (1.706 ft) wide. [7] The latter has split along its length. [9] : 353–354 

The circle became a scheduled monument in 1925. [13]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ As translated from Latin to Scots by Dalrymple in 1888. The idea for the quote and the full title of the book is as given by Welfare. [9] : 1, 283  In English "Is there likewise a wonderful great crown of stones, once more a circular fort, not otherwise than with an echo in brass or copper".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone circle</span> Ring of standing stones

A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Great Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built between 3300 to 2500 BC. The best known examples include those at the henge monument at Avebury, the Rollright Stones, Castlerigg, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recumbent stone circle</span>

A recumbent stone circle is a type of stone circle that incorporates a large monolith, known as a recumbent, lying on its side. They are found in only two regions: in Aberdeenshire in the north-east of Scotland and in the far south-west of Ireland in the counties of Cork and Kerry. In Ireland, the circles are now more commonly called Cork–Kerry or axial stone circles. They are believed by some archaeologists such as Aubrey Burl to be associated with rituals in which moonlight played a central role, as they are aligned with the arc of the southern moon. Recent excavations at Tomnaverie stone circle have suggested that no alignment of the circle was intended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strichen stone circle</span> Stone circle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Strichen stone circle is a Megalithic recumbent stone circle located near Strichen, Aberdeenshire in the north east of Scotland. It has been destroyed twice and in the early 1980s was excavated and reconstructed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon stone circle</span> Stone circle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Sheldon stone circle is a prehistoric stone circle located to the south of Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auld Bourtreebush</span>

Auld Bourtreebush is a large Neolithic stone circle near Portlethen in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is also known as Old Bourtree Bush or Old Bourtreebush. This megalithic construction is situated very close to the recumbent stone circle at Aquhorthies and near the Causey Mounth, an ancient trackway which connects the Scottish Lowlands to the highlands. It is a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easter Aquhorthies stone circle</span> Well-preserved recumbent stone circle in north-east Scotland

Easter Aquhorthies stone circle, located near Inverurie in north-east Scotland, is one of the best-preserved examples of a recumbent stone circle and one of the few that still have their full complement of stones and the only one that has all its stones still standing without having been re-erected. It stands on a gentle hill slope about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Inverurie and consists of a ring of nine stones, eight of which are grey granite and one red jasper. Two more grey granite stones flank a recumbent of red granite flecked with crystals and lines of quartz. The circle is particularly notable for its builders' use of polychromy in the stones, with the reddish ones situated on the SSW side and the grey ones opposite. The discovery of a possible cist covered by a capstone at the centre of the circle indicates that there may once have been a cairn there, but only a conspicuous bump now remains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunhoney</span> Stone circle in Aberdeen, Scotland

Sunhoney is a stone circle of the recumbent type, which is common in the Grampian region, in particular at the River Dee. Sunhoney is situated about 2 km west of Echt in Aberdeenshire, near to the Cullerlie and Midmar stone circles. It is designated a scheduled ancient monument

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balquhain</span> Historic site in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Balquhain, also known as Balquhain Stone Circle, is a recumbent stone circle 3 miles (4.8 km) from Inverurie in Scotland. It is a scheduled ancient monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stannon stone circle</span> Stone circle on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, England

Stannon stone circle is a stone circle located near St. Breward on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England.

Kirkton of Bourtie stone circle is a recumbent stone circle located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated about 2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) to the northeast of Inverurie at the end of a south-facing hillside just outside the hamlet of Kirkton of Bourtie. It stands on arable land near a minor road at an altitude of 515 ft (157 m) above sea level, with the Hill of Barra prominently visible to the north.

Frederick Coles FSA Scot (1854–1929) was an archaeologist, artist, naturalist and musician. For many years he worked as Assistant Keeper at the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in Edinburgh from where he was funded to make a series of annual field archaeology expeditions to survey and draw stone circles in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axial stone circle</span> Type of megalithic monument in counties Cork and Kerry, Ireland

An axial stone circle is a megalithic ring of stones of a particular design found in County Cork and County Kerry in southwest Ireland. Archaeologists have found it convenient to consider the axial five-stone circle and axial multiple-stone circle separately. The circle has an approximate axis of symmetry aligned in a generally northeast–southwest direction. The stone at the southwest side of the circle, rather than being an upright orthostat like all the rest, is a slab lying horizontally with its long thin edge along the circumference of the ring. Because it marks the axis of the circle it is called the axial stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kealkill stone circle</span> Axial five-stone stone circle in County Cork, Ireland

Kealkill stone circle is a Bronze Age axial five-stone circle located just outside the village of Kealkill, County Cork in southwest Ireland. When it was excavated in 1938 it was thought the crucial axial stone indicated an alignment to the north, contrary to the general alignment of such stone circles to the southwest. However, later archaeologists have thought it is the comparatively insignificant stone to the southwest that is the axial stone. There are two associated standing stones nearby, one of which had fallen and was re-erected in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomnaverie stone circle</span> Recumbent stone circle in Aberdeenshire

Tomnaverie stone circle is a recumbent stone circle set on the top of a small hill in lowland northeast Scotland. Construction started from about 2500 BC, in the Bronze Age, to produce a monument of thirteen granite stones including a massive 6.5-ton recumbent stone lying on its side along the southwest of the circle's perimeter. Within the 17-metre (56 ft) circle are kerb stones encircling a low 15-metre (49 ft) ring cairn but the cairn itself no longer exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loanhead of Daviot stone circle</span> Recumbent stone circle in Aberdeenshire

Loanhead of Daviot stone circle is a recumbent stone circle in Aberdeenshire in lowland northeast Scotland. The circle consists of the recumbent stone with its flankers and a complete set of eight orthostats about 21 metres (69 ft) in diameter surrounding a low kerbed ring cairn which has an open court. However, the present appearance has in part been produced by substantial restoration after archaeological excavation in 1934, and in 1989 by the removal of the stones covering the central court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrebagger stone circle</span> Stone circle in Aberdeen, Scotland

Tyrebagger stone circle is located at Dyce, near to Aberdeen in Scotland. It is a complete recumbent stone circle. It was used as a cattle pound in the past and now stands close to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. It is a scheduled monument since 1925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aikey Brae stone circle</span> Recumbent stone circle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Aikey Brae is a recumbent stone circle on Parkhouse Hill near Old Deer in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The recumbent stone is about 21.5 tonnes and there are five stones still erected in total. The site has been excavated most recently by Chris Ball and Richard Bradley. It is a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquhorthies stone circle</span> Architectural structure in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

Aquhorthies is a Neolithic stone circle near Portlethen in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site is composed of a ring cairn and a recumbent stone circle which unusually has two rings. It stands one field away from Auld Bourtreebush stone circle, near to the Causey Mounth. It is a scheduled monument.

References

  1. 1 2 Welfare, Adam (2018). "Recumbent stone circles". In Burnham, Andy (ed.). The old stones: A field guide to the megalithic sites of Britain and Ireland. London: Watkins Publishing. pp. 314–315. ISBN   9781786781543.
  2. 1 2 3 Welfare, Adam (2011). Halliday, Stratford (ed.). Great crowns of stone: The recumbent stone circles of Scotland. Edinburgh: RCAHMS. pp. 1, 31, 33–37, 236, 252–255. ISBN   9781902419558.
  3. ↑ Burl, H. Aubrey W. (1969). "The recumbent stone circles of north-east Scotland". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 102: 58, 75. ISSN   2056-743X. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. PDF accessible
  4. ↑ Burl, Aubrey (2000). The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany . Yale University Press. pp. 41, 256. ISBN   0-300-08347-5.
  5. ↑ Bradley, Richard; Phillips, Tim; Arrowsmith, Sharon; Ball, Chris (2005). The Moon and the Bonfire: an investigation of three stone circles in north-east Scotland. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. p. 105. ISBN   0903903334.
  6. ↑ "NJ62NW0003 - Dunnideer". Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 "Dunnideer". Canmore. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Leslie, John (1888). Cody, E. G. (ed.). The Historie of Scotland: wrytten first in Latin by the most reverend worthy Jhone Leslie Bishop of Rosse and translated in Scottish by Father James Dalrymple, volume I. Translated by Dalrymple, James. Edinburgh & London: Scottish Text Society. p. 48.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Welfare, Adam (2011). Halliday, Stratford (ed.). Great crowns of stone: The recumbent stone circles of Scotland. Edinburgh: RCAHMS. ISBN   9781902419558.
  10. ↑ Bennett (1856). Sculptured Stones of Scotland Volume 1.
  11. 1 2 Coles, Frederick (1902) [First published 30-11-1902]. "Report on Stone Circles in Aberdeenshire (Inverurie, Eastern Parishes, and Insch Districts), with measured Plans and Drawings, obtained under the Gunning Fellowship". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 36 (1901): 537–538. doi: 10.9750/PSAS.036.488.581 . S2CID   254526192.
  12. ↑ Ruggles, C.L.N.; Burl, H.A.W. (1985). "A New Study of the Aberdeenshire Recumbent Stone Circles, 2: Interpretation". Archaeoastronomy: Supplement to the Journal for the History of Astronomy. 16 (8): 30.
  13. ↑ "Dunnideer stone circle, 450m NW of Dunnideer Tower (SM21)". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.