Callanish II
Encyclopedia
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
(Cnoc Ceann à Gharaidh) is one of many megalithic structures around the better-known (and larger) Calanais I on the west coast of the isle of Lewis
Lewis
Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....
, in the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
(Western Isles), Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
This is an elliptical setting of five stones with a major axis of about 21 metres and a minor axis of about 19 metres. Originally there were a total of 10 stones of the ellipse with an 11th outlier.
A cairn, eight and a half metres in diameter, was built in the circle a little to the east of centre.
Post hole evidence suggests that there was an earlier timber structure on the same site, about 10 metres in diameter.