Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith
Watch Stone of Stenness
Late Neolithic (3100 BCE)·Grooved Ware·🇬🇧 Orkney, Mainland, Loch of Stenness causeway, United Kingdom
About
About Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith
Ness causeway outlier midway between two henges, with Bridge of Brodgar nearby, excavated causeway timber 2014.
Why it mattersKey Grooved Ware megalithic with stratified sequence and regional typology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Astronomical alignment
- 02Trade network extent
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre
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. 3100 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic (3100 BCE)
- Culture
- Grooved Ware
- Purpose
- 5.6 m causeway monolith between Brodgar and Stenness henges — boundary marker
- Rediscovered
- Modern excavation 1943
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
1890 excavation
Modern rediscovery and scientific excavation of Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith
c. 1500 BCE major extension
Major expansion / refurbishment at Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith
c. 3100 BCE
Initial construction / first occupation at Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith
On the ground
Structures & features
58.9970° N · 3.2080° W · 4 m · 4 mapped features
Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith — Principal Standing Stone
standing stonestanding stone at Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith — subsidiary complex
58.9958° N · 3.2073° WStenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith — Northern Chamber
chamberchamber at Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith — primary structure
58.9975° N · 3.2087° WStenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith — Cairn Annex 3
cairncairn at Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith — subsidiary complex
58.9954° N · 3.2074° WStenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith — Standing_Stone Annex 4
standing stonestanding stone at Stenness Annex — Watch Stone Monolith — subsidiary complex
58.9957° N · 3.2099° W