ABOUT
THE CALLANISH STONES
What and Where is Calanais?
Calanais,
more usually known in the anglcised form as Callanish, [is situated] on
the west coast of the remote Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The famous
standing stones of Callanish stand grandly on a promontory overlooking East
Loch Roag. A small but spectacular ring of tall, slender standing stones
of Lewisian gneiss, with an even taller (4-5 meters high) central stone
and additiona radial lines and avenue forming the shape of a distorted Celtic
cross, this monument is widely acclaimed as the "Stonehenge of the
North." The circle itself was probably erected around 2900 BC, prior
to the construction of the tiny chambered tomb inside it.
-Clive Ruggles
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We are cognizant of the virtue of the isolation
of the Outer Hebrides. Although slightly elevated on the plateau, , there
is no view to speak of, no scenery to frame it. The surrounding countryside
is relatively flat and dull. The stones themselves are uncapturable in their
entirety either by photograph or painting: There are too many of them. Yet
is they in their entirety, their pattern as a whole, that makes the site so
unique
-M Scott Peck, M.D.
Who Erected the Stones and Why In This Cold, Damp, and Treeless Region?
The bleak moorlands of Lewis seem an inhospitable place for early man to have chosen as a home. But prehistoric Lewis was very different from te island today. The climate was warmer and drier; the sea level was lower and there was little peat.
The
period of stone building in the British Isles as a whole (probably 3400 BC
to 1350 BC) coincided with a period of favourable climate--even in Lewis!
Overcast, wet and windy weather was quite rere when Callanish was built, an
important point for those supporting the astronomical theory of the Stones'
use.
It is now known that birch trees grew extensively in at least some parts of
the island over 8000 years ago. Possibly these trees were destroyed by the
earliest nomadic tribes to reach the island burning areas of forest as a part
of their hunting activities.
The
Mesolithic or "Middle Stone Age" peoples were hunters who visited
or settled some of the Inner Hebrides and may have destroyed Lewis woodlands
before 6000 BC. The peoples of the Neolithic or "New Stone Age"
were the first farmers and also the first people to settle much of Scotland.
These Ages were followed successively by the Bronze Age and the Iron Age....The
period of stone circle building extended through the Middle and Late Neolithic
into the Early Bronze Age, and the circles and tombs. Deterioration of the
climate occurred in the Middle Bronze Age. By the Iron Age peat was already
sufficiently deep to be useful as fuel in the Hebrides.
-Gerald Ponting, Margaret Ponting
Why Were the Stones Erected?
Then what was the original purpose of the configuration? The most prevalent theory is that its stones were precisely configured to make complex sightings of the planets, sun, moon, and stars so as to accurately celebrate solstices or predict eclipses. This is also the most prevalent theory to explain all the other great megalithic sites, Stonehenge included...I am with the reality that we simply haven't a clue as to why the creators of Callanish configured it as they did.
-M Scott Peck, M.D.