Temple Wood facts for kids
Temple Wood is a very old and special place in Scotland. It is also known as Half Moon Wood. You can find it in Kilmartin Glen, which is near Kintyre in Argyll. This ancient site has two main stone circles, one to the north and one to the south.
Contents
What is Temple Wood?
Temple Wood is an archaeological site. This means it's a place where people study things from the past. It shows us how people lived a very long time ago. The name "Temple Wood" came about in the 1800s when trees were planted around the circles. The name doesn't tell us what the site was used for.
The Southern Stone Circle
The larger of the two circles is the southern one. It has a ring of 13 big standing stones. These stones are very tall and were placed upright by ancient people. This circle is about 12 metres (40 feet) wide. Long ago, it might have had as many as 22 stones.
Inside this large circle, there is a smaller ring of stones. This inner circle is about 3 metres (10 feet) wide. In the very middle of it, you can find a special stone box called a cist. A cist is like a small stone chest, and it was used for burials. Other burials were also made near this circle later on.
Experts believe that the first part of the southern circle was built around 3000 BC. That means it's about 5,000 years old! This information comes from a sign at the site by Historic Scotland.
The Northern Stone Circle
The northern circle at Temple Wood is smaller than the southern one. It is made up of smooth, rounded stones, like those you might find in a river. These same kinds of stones also fill the southern circle.
In the middle of the northern circle, there is one single stone. Another stone sits right on the edge of this circle. Some people think that this northern circle might have started as a timber circle. This means it was first made with wooden posts instead of stones.
Protecting Temple Wood
Temple Wood is a very important historical site. It is protected as a scheduled monument. This means it's a special place that the government helps to look after. It is located just south of another ancient site called Nether Largie cairn.
