Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle and Henge

There’s been limited archaeological investigations at the Ring of Brodgar, so we don’t know its age for sure.

In the absence of scientific dates, our best guess is that the main ring was constructed sometime between 2600 and 2400 BC. The surrounding burial mounds and stone setting likely date from between 2500 and 1500 BC.

A local folk story describes how the ring was formed when the sun rose on a group of giants performing a circular dance and they were frozen to stone.

The Ring of Brodgar became one of the first places to be protected as a site of historical significance in the British Isles when it was scheduled way back in 1882.

People have been taking an interest in the Ring of Brodgar for centuries. The first known account of the site dates back to 1529 and includes both prose and illustrations. But there’s scant evidence for the activities Neolithic people did here, or why they may have done them.

The stone circle may have been involved in ceremonies celebrating the relationship between living and past communities. It’s also been suggested that the sites in the area were used for observations of the moon.

In any case, erecting the stones and construction of the massive rock-cut ditch would have required considerable labour and organisation.

Unusually, the ring has a truly circular layout. Of the original 60 stones, 36 survive. They range between 2.1m to 4.7m tall.

The stone circle has a diameter of 104m, and is encircled by a ditch, or henge, measuring 136m across. This makes it one of the largest and finest stone circles in the British isles, and the largest in Scotland.

Some stones have not fared as well as others over the years - several have been lost of have fallen. At least one has been struck by lightning!