Callanish II (Cnoc Ceann a' Gharaidh)
Cnoc Ceann a' Gharaidh · Callanish II stone circle
Late Neolithic·Hebridean Late Neolithic·🇬🇧 Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom
About
About Callanish II (Cnoc Ceann a' Gharaidh)
Elliptical stone circle 21.6 m × 18.9 m with seven thin Lewisian gneiss slabs (2–3.3 m high, five standing, two fallen) enclosing a ruined cairn on a ridge 90 m from Loch Roag, ~300 m south-east of Callanish I. Forms part of the 19-site Callanish complex of Late Neolithic ritual monuments (c.2900–2600 BCE) with potential lunar alignments. Excavated 1980 showing cairn kerb and cremation deposits.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Relation to Callanish I lunar standstill geometry
Theories
- 01Satellite ritual focus within Callanish complex
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 2900–2600 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic
- Culture
- Hebridean Late Neolithic
- Purpose
- Ritual stone circle with cairn
- Abandoned
- Bronze Age
- Rediscovered
- Antiquarian 19th century; excavated 1980 (Ponting)
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 2900–2600 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1008 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
Gallery