SCOTLAND ~ Calanais Standing Stones - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides ~

... Scottish postcard nr2 is showing something totally different.... a step back into the mists of time...  mysterious standing stones perched on top of a hill with the stunning coast behind... it is one of the most complete stone circles in Europe...  these magnificent megaliths are famous worldwide and have enchanted and intrigued visitors for thousands of years... a magical atmospheric place to visit... the purpose of the original site is still unknown... maybe there was some ritual aspect and there are theories about astronomical measurement...  you are even allowed to touch the stones.... Thanks so much dear Andrene!! ✿乂◕‿◕乂

© Colin Baxter
The site was built between 2900 and 2600 BC, though there were possibly earlier buildings before 3000 BC. A tomb was later built into the site. The 13 primary stones form a circle about 13 m in diameter, with a long approach avenue of stones to the north, and shorter stone rows to the east, south, and west. The overall layout of the monument recalls a distorted Celtic cross. The individual stones vary from around 1 m to 5 m in height, with an average of 4 m, and are of the local Lewisian gneiss.

The tallest of the stones marks the entrance to a burial cairn where human remains have been discovered. An excavation campaign in 1980 and 1981 showed that the burial chamber was a late addition to the site, and that it had been modified a number of times.

Stamp:

 Definitive Queen Elizabeth II 
(Issued 20-03-2018)