Callanish II
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Cnoc Ceann a' Gharaidh | |
 Callanish II seen from the west | |
  Callanish II Shown within Outer Hebrides | |
| Location | Lewis |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 58°11′40″N 6°43′44″W / 58.19444°N 6.72888°W |
| Type | Stone circle |
| History | |
| Material | Stone |
| Founded | c. 2750 BC[1] |
| Periods | Neolithic, Bronze Age |
The Callanish II stone circle (Scottish Gaelic: Cnoc Ceann a' Gharaidh[2]) 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.
Callanish II is situated on a ridge just 90 metres from the waters of Loch Roag.[3] It is just a few hundred metres from the Callanish III stone circle. See Callanish IV, Callanish VIII, and Callanish X for other minor sites.
The stone circle consists of seven thin standing stones arranged in the shape of an ellipse measuring 21.6 by 18.9 metres.[3] Five of the stones are standing and two have fallen.[2] The stones vary from 2 to 3.3 metres in height.[2] A slab, 1.4 metres long, lies in front of the western stone, pointing towards the centre of the circle.[2] The stone circle surrounds a cairn with a diameter of 8.5 metres.[2]
When 3 feet (1 metre) of peat was removed from the site in 1848, four holes were noticed, three grouped in an arc at the northwest, a fourth at the south-west.[3] Wood charcoal found in them suggests that they formed an earlier timber circle about 10 metres in diameter.[3]
Callanish monuments
Callanish II is one of several groups of standing stones scattered across the moorland of western Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Archaeologists often describe these sites together as the Callanish monuments.[4][5] Instead of a single stone circle standing alone, the landscape around Loch Roag contains a small network of prehistoric sites built during the Neolithic.[6][4]
The best known of these monuments is the nearby Callanish stone circle, often called Callanish I. Other sites lie within a few kilometres of it, including Callanish III, Callanish IV, and Callanish VIII.[7][4] Each is slightly different. Some form small circles of stones, while others appear as short lines or oval groups set into the ground.[5]
Most of the monuments stand on low ridges or gentle slopes above Loch Roag and the surrounding sea inlets. From these places there are wide views across the open moor and toward the coast.[4][6] The stones often stand on slight rises where they are easy to see against the sky. In some cases it is possible that people moving across the landscape could see one group of stones from another.[4]
Taken together, these sites suggest that the stones were never meant to stand alone. Instead they formed part of a wider ceremonial landscape used by the communities who lived along the western coast of Lewis thousands of years ago.[4][6] Across the moor, people placed stone monuments in visible places overlooking land and sea, creating a network of gathering places that shaped how people moved through the landscape.
