(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Ring of Brodgar [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-12-09 Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour cleverly hidden at the intersection of religion and politics. This is an open thread where we can share our thoughts and comments about the day. We are going to start today in Scotland. Megalithic architecture formed one of the most distinctive and enduring features of prehistoric European architecture. The term megalithic is applied to any prehistoric monument or building that makes use of very large, unshaped blocks of stone as a principal component. Some of the megaliths were constructed as tombs and others were ceremonial monuments. Throughout the British Isles, ancient people constructed hundreds of megalithic stone circles. In constructing these great monuments, the people invested massive amounts of labor in obtaining the great stones, then hauling them from distant quarries, and finally erecting them upright in a circular fashion. With regard to the shape of these megalithic monuments, In his book The Stone Circles of the British Isles, Aubrey Burl reports: “Of the 900 + megalithic rings known in the British Isle the general proportions are 600 circles, 150 flattened circles, 100 ellipses and 50 eggs.” While it is evident that the megalithic circles functioned as ceremonial monuments, we don’t really know exactly what kinds of ceremonies were performed. Many of the stone circles seem to have been aligned to permit astronomical observations and thus many archaeologists hypothesize that some of the ceremonies may have been timed to correspond with solar and lunar events. Belief in the astronomical function of the stone circles has been strong since the 19th century. Aubrey Burl writes: “Potential celestial targets are numerous. The sun could be observed at its risings and settings at midsummer, midwinter, and at the equinoxes. The moon could be descried at its azimuthal equivalents with the complication that there are lunar maxima and minima so that for the six solar positions there are, at the simplest, eight for the moon.” In Megalithic Sites in Britain, A. Thom writes: “Astronomically it has long been recognized that many of the sites contain indicators showing rising or setting points for the sun at the solstices. But the present work shows that here is a probability amounting to a certainty that other equally-spaced dates throughout the year are indicated. It also shows that the moon was carefully observed and that the first-magnitude stars may also come into the picture.” One of the most impressive stone circles in Britain is found on Mainland in the Orkney Islands. The Ring of Brodgar is the third largest stone ring in the British Isles and includes a massive rock cut ditch with two small opposed entrances. Today there are 21 erect monoliths, 10 stumps or packing stones. Some archaeologists have suggested that there 60 stones originally. The stones become progressively closer spaced as they approach the southeast causeway. Shown above: some of the stones have broken off and all that remains are short stubs. Shown above is a broken stone. In their report on the archaeology of the Ring of Brodgar in Building the Great Stone Circles of the North, Jane Downes et at report: “The stones form a true circle, as opposed to an oval or ellipse, and are surrounded by a rock-cut ditch with an immense diameter of c. 123 m. Two opposed causeways are positioned in the northwest and southwest. The internal circle has a diameter of c. 103 m, and is thought to have originally incorporated 60 monoliths.” Shown above is the view from the northern causeway. Notice the ditch to the right of the stones. The ditch was cut into bedrock using tools made of antler, stone, wood, and bone. The northern causeway, which is about three meters (ten feet) wide crosses the ditch and provides an entrance to the circle. The southern causeway, on the other hand, is only about one meter wide. Jane Downes et al report: “The narrow southern causeway is particularly restrictive in forcing any presumed passage down to single file.” Shown above are Stones 12 (on the left) and 11 (on the right). With regard to these stones, archaeologists Jane Downes et al, in their chapter on the Ring of Brodgar in Building the Great Stone Circles of the North, write: “Their juxtaposition catches the eye because, atypically, the angled tops of the stones are opposed. Yet there is another reason why this pairing attacks attention. In contrast to the remaining stones within the circle, Stones 11 and 12 are very closely set in being only 2.5 m distant.” The spacing of these stones suggests that the stones become progressively closer spaced at the southeast causeway is approached. There is also some evidence that a façade-like arrangement of posts may have once been present. Jane Downes et al write: “Since it is the causeways that are the focus of more closely spaced stones, it seems that the position of monoliths in the Ring of Brodgar is determined more by imagery than regularity in plan.” With regard to the architecture of the Ring of Brodgar, Jane Downes et al write: “The erection and positioning of monoliths at the Ring of Brodgar appears paradoxical. On the one hand there is clearly great concern with imagery, in terms of encounter. Yet, little concern with longevity is demonstrated through the erection of monoliths in shallow sockets; a procedure that could be described as haphazard. Overall, the architecture of the stone circle within the Ring of Brodgar appears to be more concerned with representation than substance or longevity.” The Ring of Brodgar was erected between 2500 BCE and 2000 BCE. This means that the Ring of Brodgar is not as old as the nearby Orcadian sites of Skara Brae (a Neolithic village), the Standing Stones of Stenness (a stone circle), and Maes Howe (a passage tomb). Fairly close to the Ring of Brodgar is the Neolithic settlement site of Ness of Brodgar where archaeologists have uncovered at least seven monumental house structures. Jane Downes et al write: “Consequently, it seems likely that the structures at the Ness of Brodgar are equivalents or analogues of the ‘big houses’ located within the different settlements, perhaps being the prerogative of separate and distinct social groups occupying particular villages across Orkney. As will be seen in the composition of the stone circle at the Ring of Brodgar, this strategy of gathering people, places and things is a common theme of the Stenness-Brodgar landscape.” When approaching the Ring of Brodgar from the Ness of Brodgar, it is evident that the megaliths have been placed to enhance the circle’s image. Jane Downes et al write: “Indeed, the positioning of stones is subtly controlled to provide the external appearance of a massive stone circle, which is dramatically enhanced at the points of direct encounter, entrances and exits.” With regard to the setting of this ceremonial site, Evan Hadingham writes in Circles and Standing Stones: An Illustrated Exploration of Megalith Mysteries of Early Britain: “The builders of the Ring of Brodgar chose a dramatic site, with magnificent views of land and water in every direction. All around the shores of the lochs are the cairns of the tomb builders, and the great mound of Maes Howe is visible a short distance away.” The Ring of Brodgar is not a unique ceremonial site but has similarities with other British sites. In Circles and Standing Stones: An Illustrated Exploration of Megalith Mysteries of Early Britain, Evan Hadingham writes: “It is hard to believe that the builders of Brodgar independently arrived at the concept of a temple of stones enclosed by a bank and inner ditch, broken by two entrances, similar to the layout of so many sites throughout Britain.” Overview of the Site The Megaliths Shown above: notice the broken piece of the stone on the ground. The man (an Australian tourist) is not offering a sacrifice but placing Macbeth (a stuffed highland coo) so that it can be photographed. The broken megalith with Macbeth. The figure near the megalith shows the size of the standing stone. Shown above is a broken stump. The Ditch Shown above: the ditch and what appears to be a burial mound in the distance. Shown above: the burial mound. Open Thread This is an open thread—all topics are welcome. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/9/2205397/-The-Ring-of-Brodgar?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/