What is your favorite European megalithic? (other than Stonehenge)

I love connecting with history, that is why I travel. One of my
most-sought connections is with ancient history, and there is nothing
more ancient than megalithics.

In 2006 in particular, I visited the south of England, and got lost in
the West Country in the search for ancient ruins. Wonderful
experience. One develops an eye for arrangement of stones that is not
accidental, and you can be alone with something few if any people have
seen.

I came across a stone arrangement I never saw before, and I've seen
hundreds of megalithics. It consisted of two concentric rings, ten
feet apart, with an interior area about ten feet across.

http://stepheda.com/England_2006/Day_5.html#13

The close arrangement of the stones is inconsistent with stone circles,
and I've seen no concentric stone circles apart from Stonehenge. Yet
there are two rings of stones, so these do not appear to be kerb stones
of a burial mound whose mound stones have been removed. The most
similar thing I've seen are some tombs near Culloden, Balnualan of
Clava, with two concentric rings of kerb stones with a mass of fill
stones between them:

http://stepheda.com/Scotland_2004_Me...f_Clava.html#8

But, Culloden and Cornwall are so far apart, I know from experience
seeing megalithics, that it is doubtful a cultural mixing occurred, and
if it did, where are the fill stones?

Offhand, it could also look like a fort on the Dun Carloway model. But
the space between the rings, at ten feet, is too larger, and the
interior space, ten feet across, is too small.

http://stepheda.com/Scotland_2004_Me...way_Broch.html

So: this is probably my favorite megalithic site, because of the
mystery behind it and its uniqueness. Does anyone have an explanation
for it?

What is your favorite megalithic in Europe? And why? Other than
Stonehenge, that is -- that could be an easy choice already.




--
Dan Stephenson
http://stepheda.com
Travel pages for Europe and the U.S.A. (and New Zealand too)

On 2/17/2013 9:08 AM, Dan Stephenson wrote:

http://stepheda.com/Scotland_2004_Me...way_Broch.html

So: this is probably my favorite megalithic site, because of the mystery
behind it and its uniqueness. Does anyone have an explanation for it?

No idea. If you find an explanation, please share it.

What is your favorite megalithic in Europe? And why? Other than
Stonehenge, that is -- that could be an easy choice already.

The Ring of Brodgar, in Orkney.
It's approachable, and doesn't feel at all touristy.

S Viemeister wrote:

On 2/17/2013 9:08 AM, Dan Stephenson wrote:
[]
What is your favorite megalithic in Europe? And why? Other than
Stonehenge, that is -- that could be an easy choice already.

The Ring of Brodgar, in Orkney.
It's approachable, and doesn't feel at all touristy.

Of those I've seen, my favourite too, also for its location.

David

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
www.davidhorne.net (email address on website)
"[Do you think the world learned anything from the first
world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)

What is your favorite megalithic in Europe? And why? Other than
Stonehenge, that is -- that could be an easy choice already.

The Ring of Brodgar, in Orkney.
It's approachable, and doesn't feel at all touristy.

I replied to this part, then had other thoughts. Tarxien in Malta is also
fascinating. So is the Taula Sanctuary on, I think, Minorca. Sicily has
some great sites, but a bit later. Back in Orkney, there are so many sites,
but trying to stick to megalithic keeps the list shorter. Skara Brae is
stone. . .
--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

On 2/18/2013 11:06 AM, Erilar wrote:

What is your favorite megalithic in Europe? And why? Other than
Stonehenge, that is -- that could be an easy choice already.

The Ring of Brodgar, in Orkney.
It's approachable, and doesn't feel at all touristy.

I replied to this part, then had other thoughts. Tarxien in Malta is also
fascinating. So is the Taula Sanctuary on, I think, Minorca. Sicily has
some great sites, but a bit later. Back in Orkney, there are so many sites,
but trying to stick to megalithic keeps the list shorter. Skara Brae is
stone. . .

Yes, I _loved_ Skara Brae!

S Viemeister wrote:

On 2/18/2013 11:06 AM, Erilar wrote:

What is your favorite megalithic in Europe? And why? Other than
Stonehenge, that is -- that could be an easy choice already.

The Ring of Brodgar, in Orkney.
It's approachable, and doesn't feel at all touristy.

I replied to this part, then had other thoughts. Tarxien in Malta is also
fascinating. So is the Taula Sanctuary on, I think, Minorca. Sicily has
some great sites, but a bit later. Back in Orkney, there are so many sites,
but trying to stick to megalithic keeps the list shorter. Skara Brae is
stone. . .

Yes, I _loved_ Skara Brae!

First time I visited, we wandered around the site at midnight in June.
That was the 80s, not sure if you can still do that?

David

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
www.davidhorne.net (email address on website)
"[Do you think the world learned anything from the first
world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)

On 2/18/2013 12:48 PM, David Horne wrote:
S Viemeister wrote:
On 2/18/2013 11:06 AM, Erilar wrote:

I replied to this part, then had other thoughts. Tarxien in Malta is also
fascinating. So is the Taula Sanctuary on, I think, Minorca. Sicily has
some great sites, but a bit later. Back in Orkney, there are so many sites,
but trying to stick to megalithic keeps the list shorter. Skara Brae is
stone. . .

Yes, I _loved_ Skara Brae!

First time I visited, we wandered around the site at midnight in June.
That was the 80s, not sure if you can still do that?

Don't know - we were there in the 90s, in the middle of the day.

David Horne wrote:
S Viemeister wrote:

On 2/18/2013 11:06 AM, Erilar wrote:

What is your favorite megalithic in Europe? And why? Other than
Stonehenge, that is -- that could be an easy choice already.

The Ring of Brodgar, in Orkney.
It's approachable, and doesn't feel at all touristy.

I replied to this part, then had other thoughts. Tarxien in Malta is also
fascinating. So is the Taula Sanctuary on, I think, Minorca. Sicily has
some great sites, but a bit later. Back in Orkney, there are so many sites,
but trying to stick to megalithic keeps the list shorter. Skara Brae is
stone. . .

Yes, I _loved_ Skara Brae!

First time I visited, we wandered around the site at midnight in June.
That was the 80s, not sure if you can still do that?

David

They've tightened up access. I envy you the site at midnight in June!

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

On 2013-02-18 10:53:51 -0600, S Viemeister said:

On 2/18/2013 11:06 AM, Erilar wrote:

What is your favorite megalithic in Europe? And why? Other than
Stonehenge, that is -- that could be an easy choice already.

The Ring of Brodgar, in Orkney.
It's approachable, and doesn't feel at all touristy.

I replied to this part, then had other thoughts. Tarxien in Malta is also
fascinating. So is the Taula Sanctuary on, I think, Minorca. Sicily has
some great sites, but a bit later. Back in Orkney, there are so many sites,
but trying to stick to megalithic keeps the list shorter. Skara Brae is
stone. . .

Yes, I _loved_ Skara Brae!

A smaller farmstead, but older (5500 years old) is Knap of Howar on
Papa Westray. I took the short flights from Kirkwall.

Overall I was very impressed with the megalithic density in Orkney. I
am curious if that is because it intrinsically had a high density -
perhaps due to isolation as an island, it grew stronger than the
mainland, or if due to being an island, it was less encrouched-on by
farmers tilling fields or stones robbed for cottages.

Another megalithic-dense area is Kilmartin, in Scotland. I stayed at a
B&B right across the road from the main sites: several stone circles
and alignments, and several tombs of all kinds. And there are several
megalithics in the immediately vicinity. I used the stonepages.com web
site for research to find all these places.

The first seven pages are from the Kilmartin area:

http://stepheda.com/Scotland_2004_Me...ics_Index.html

Now that I check my sources, I see the Isle of Lewis has a lot of
magnificant megalithics, too.



--
Dan Stephenson
http://stepheda.com
Travel pages for Europe and the U.S.A. (and New Zealand too)

Another megalithic-dense area is Kilmartin, in Scotland. I stayed at a
B&B right across the road from the main sites: several stone circles
and alignments, and several tombs of all kinds. And there are several
megalithics in the immediately vicinity. I used the stonepages.com web
site for research to find all these places.

The first seven pages are from the Kilmartin area:

http://stepheda.com/Scotland_2004_Me...ics_Index.html

You probably stayed in the same place we did. There is a remarkable
variety of different kinds of ancient structures there, and the local
museum does a good job of interpreting them.

It's very easy to get to by public transport.

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