Callanish stones facts for kids
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The Callanish Stones are a famous group of ancient standing stones. You can find them near the village of Callanish. This village is on the west coast of Lewis, an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. In Gaelic, the village is called Calanais.
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Discovering the Callanish Stones
These amazing stones were built a very long time ago. People started building them between 2900 and 2600 BC. That's over 4,500 years ago! Some evidence suggests there might have been even older structures here before 3000 BC.
What Do the Stones Look Like?
The main part of the site is a circle of 13 large stones. This circle is about 13 meters wide. From the north, a long path of stones leads up to the circle. Shorter rows of stones also stretch out to the east, south, and west.
The way the stones are laid out looks a bit like a Celtic cross. This is a special type of cross with a circle around its center. The stones themselves are different sizes. They range from about 1 meter to 5 meters tall. Most of them are around 4 meters high. These huge stones are made from a local rock called Lewisian gneiss.
A Tomb Among the Stones
Later, after the stones were put in place, a tomb was built right into the site. This shows that the area was important to people for a very long time. It was used for ceremonies and as a burial place.
Why Were They Built?
No one knows for sure why the Callanish Stones were built. Many experts believe they were used for special ceremonies. They might have been a place for ancient people to study the sky. The way the stones line up could have helped them track the sun or moon.
Mysteries of the Past
These ancient monuments are full of mysteries. Who were the people who built them? How did they move such massive stones without modern tools? What stories did they tell about this special place? The Callanish Stones help us imagine life in Scotland thousands of years ago. They are a powerful reminder of our ancient past.
