Four-post stone circle
A four- poster stone circle ( English Four-poster stone circle ), also "sky stone circle ", is a square or rectangular stone setting of four (or five) erect stones, which occurs in the British Isles , but regardless of their non-circular shape understood as a circle becomes. Excavations have shown that the square stone settings are remnants of stone circles. The corners are usually placed on the circumference of a circle, aligned with the cardinal points and the stones are staggered in height. The rectangle reaches 13.0 to 345.0 square meters. The stone circles are recognized in farmland as existing structures or on antiquarian sketches. , Which may be present components are bowls ( English cups ) on one or more blocks, a Cairn ( Three Kings ) within the stone setting or one or more outliers ( English outlier ). If more than four stones are preserved, the four axis stones protrude in size.
Four-Poster Stone Circles are mainly in Scotland , particularly in Perthshire ( stone circles of Carse Farm , Stone Circle Ferntower found). The Goatstones in Northumberland , the Bordley Stone Circle in North Yorkshire and the Four Stones in Wales are three of the few examples outside of Scotland and Ireland (6 examples - e.g. Cappaboy Beg , Reenkilla and Robinstown Great ).
In England only one Goatstones has been excavated. The severely disturbed cairn within the stone setting contained a cremation. In Scottish stone circles, charcoal, bones and cremations in boxes or pits have been found. They usually come from the Bronze Age . Typical examples of Scottish circles with outliers are "Ferntower" at Crieff in Perthshire and "Glassel" in Kincardineshire .
Faux four-pillar stone circle
There are also pseudo stone circles. Such constructs are rare and exist e.g. B. from stones set up by the landowners ( Craighead of Badentoy ).
See also
literature
- Seán ó Nualláin: Stone Circles in Ireland. Country House, Dublin 1995, ISBN 0-946172-45-5 .