The Callanish IV

stone circle A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being ...

() is one of many

megalithic A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...

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

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () 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 if they were separate islands. The t ...

, in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...

(Western Isles),

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It is a scheduled monument and its official name is Sron a'Chail. The site was first surveyed and recorded by RCAHMS in 1914 and again in 2009, with another survey in the 1970s by other archaeologists, but no known archaeological excavations have taken place at the stones.

Description

Callanish IV is around two miles southeast of the

Callanish Stones The Calanais Stones (or "Calanais I": or ) are an arrangement of menhir, 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 British Isles, Ne ...

, about 180 metres west of the unfenced B8011 road. The nearest settlement is Garynahine to its northeast. The

forms a pronounced oval measuring 13.3 by 9.5 metres. Only five stones currently stand, but there could have been as many as thirteen. The stones range in size from 2 to 2.7 metres. In the centre is a dilapidated

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

. A small slab, 60 centimetres high, is set on edge within the cairn. To the south-east of the circle is a prehistoric quartz quarry. To the south-west is a shieling.

Scheduled Monument

The circle and cairn is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. It was scheduled in 1992 and the scheduled area is irregular, the longest aspect is 410m long, north–south. It covers the cairn and an area around those in which buried evidence may survive below the peat. Though it may also be to preserve the sighting lines from the circle. The statement of national importance says of the site: "The monument is of national importance as a very fine field monument, a small circle with central burial cairn. The undisturbed deep peat around it gives it the potential for recovery of information regarding contemporary landuse and economy, and possibly other structural evidence. It is also of national importance as a member of the Callanish group of circles, settings and cairns ('Callanish IV'). Together, this complex is one of the most remarkable Neolithic/Bronze Age site assemblages in N W Europe, and holds great potential for further studies into the date, nature and purpose of megalithic stone circles and settings."

Images

File:Cal4m.jpg File:Stone Circle - geograph.org.uk - 1259449.jpg File:Stone circle with lodge behind - geograph.org.uk - 740711.jpg File:Stone Circle at Ceann Hulavig (Callanish IV) - geograph.org.uk - 1258326.jpg File:Sron a' Chail Stone Circle II (3956066734).jpg

References

Buildings and structures completed in the 3rd millennium BC Archaeological sites in the Outer Hebrides Isle of Lewis Scheduled monuments in Scotland {{Scotland-struct-stub Stone circles in Na h-Eileanan Siar