The Callanish III

stone circle 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 ...

( gd, Cnoc Fillibhir Bheag) is one of many

megalithic A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

structures around the better-known (and larger) Calanais I on the west coast of the

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis ( gd, Eilean Leòdhais) or simply Lewis ( gd, Leòdhas, ) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as ...

, in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coas ...

, Scotland.

Description

The stone circle consists of two concentric ellipses. The outer ring measures about 13.7 by 13.1 metres. It contains 13 stones, of which eight are still standing and five have fallen. The inner ring is a pronounced oval measuring 10.5 by 6.6 metres. Only four stones remain in the inner circle, the tallest of which measures 2.1 metres. There is no sign of a central mound or cairn. It is just a few hundred metres from the

Callanish II The Callanish II stone circle ( gd, Cnoc Ceann a' Gharaidh) is one of many megalithic structures around the better-known (and larger) Calanais I on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Description Callanish II is ...

stone circle. See also

Callanish IV The Callanish IV stone circle ( gd, Ceann Hulavig) is one of many megalithic structures around the better-known (and larger) Calanais I on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles), Scotland. It is a scheduled mon ...

, Callanish VIII and Callanish X for other minor sites.

References

External links

Archaeological sites in the Outer Hebrides Isle of Lewis Scheduled monuments in Scotland Stone circles in Na h-Eileanan Siar {{Scotland-struct-stub