Balfarg and Balbirnie
Balfarg and Balbirnie are apparently related prehistoric burial sites and cult sites. Before the relocation of the Balbirnie plant, they were located west of the A92 from Glenrothes to Dundee only about 200 m apart in the Scottish county of Fife .
Hideout
Balfarg is one of the few henges in Scotland that has been excavated and has provided valuable information. The henge is now completely surrounded by a modern residential complex. Aerial photos showed an almost completely filled trench about 60 m in diameter, which extended in an arch on three sides. On the southern side was a natural ravine filled with soil erosion. At the time of the archaeological dig in 1977 and 1978 there were only two menhirs left . In the center is a slab that has been identified as the capstone of the grave of a younger male person buried with grave goods . The investigation found that the place was between 2,900 and 1,400 BC. Chr. Was used for several periods. Circles made of beams and posts and a ring made of stones have been identified.
At first it was apparently a flat platform over 60 meters in diameter within a circle that might not have been marked by a ditch. This shows the burning of wood and bones and a number of fragments of large pots that have been found. A short time later, 16 wooden posts of different heights and weighing up to five tons were erected in the middle of the platform. The course of a circle is now marked by low posts.
Balbirnie
Nearby ( 56 ° 12 ′ 50.1 ″ N , 3 ° 9 ′ 10.8 ″ W ) is the slightly oval circle of Balbirnie, which once consisted of 10 stones . It is 15 m in diameter and encloses a large and several small rectangular stone structures that were later introduced, similar to those of Carnapple in West Lothian and the Stones of Stenness on Orkney .
It appears that the two monuments were created around the same time, but Balbirnie appears to have been used longer than Balfarg.
literature
- Roger J. Mercer: The excavation of a late Neolithic henge-type enclosure at Balfarg, Markinch, Fife, Scotland, 1977-78 . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 111: 1981 pp. 63-171.
- Gordon J. Barclay & Christopher J. Russell-White: Excavations in the ceremonial complex of the fourth to second millennium BC at Balfarg / Balbirnie, Glenrothes, Fife . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 123: 1993 pp. 43-210.
- Gordon J. Barclay: Balfarg: The Prehistoric Ceremonial Complex Historic Scotland 1993 ISBN 1872162010
Web links
- Entry on Balfarg and Balbirnie in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland's database
- Entry on Balfarg and Balbirnie in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland's database
Coordinates: 56 ° 12 '54.1 " N , 3 ° 9' 33.3" W.