NODE 09 - THE CHAMBERED CAIRN continued

The cairn encompasses two chambers, one large one seen here in the foreground, and a smaller one behind. The two stones which lay on either side were thought at one time to be fallen roof slabs from the tomb. The cairn was possibly built in two phases, with the second added perhaps within the span of a year. The initial cavity was horseshoe-shaped, which was extended into a circular chamber. The capstones were probably knocked down sometime later in prehistoric time. The ensuing peat buildup over the millenia hid the cairn until its excavation in the mid-Nineteenth Century.

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Virtual Calanais © Rick Ferncase 2000-2001.