Callanish X (also known as "Na Dromannan" and "Druim Nan Eun") is the collapsed remains of a

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 ...

. It 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 more well-known and larger Calanais I on the west coast of the isle of Lewis, in the Western Isles of 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 ...

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 ...

. The fallen stones lie on the summit of the rocky ridge, Druim nan Eun.

Description

The stones were examined from 2003–2006 in an excavation involving the removal of the covering layer of

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

. These excavations revealed that the circle had comprised a ring of 17 stones, of which two are missing and the remaining 15 have fallen over. Within the central area are another five fallen stones which formed an inner circle. There is also an outlying stone which stood to the north and two stones which stood to the south. The two southern stones, together with two naturally-positioned erratic stones, appear to have formed a short entranceway, or avenue, leading upslope from the south. The stones at Callanish X had been erected on bare rock, where it was impossible to dig pits or sockets in the tough bedrock. Hence the stones had been held in place by jamming smaller stones around their bases. This was inadequate to hold them long term, and most of the

monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid igneous or metamorphic rock. Some monolit ...

s had fallen after "several hundred years".

References

External links

Calanais Excavations - Na Dromannan
{{European Standing Stones Buildings and structures completed in the 3rd millennium BC Archaeological sites in the Outer Hebrides Isle of Lewis Scheduled monuments in Scotland