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TOPIC: Standing Stones of Stenness

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Feb 23 21:36 2011

RE: Standing Stones of Stenness	Permalink

Standing Stones of Stenness The Standing Stones of Stenness (HY311125) were originally a circle of 12 stones with a diameter of 30m and now comprise of 4 uprights, the tallest of which is over 5m high. The circle was surrounded by a rock-cut ditch 2m deep, 7m wide and 44m in diameter which has become filled-in over the years. Excavation has revealed a square setting of stones and bedding holes for further uprights, either stone or wooden. Read more __________________

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Feb 22 16:31 2007

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In August 1814, the novelist Sir Walter Scott visited the Standing Stones o' Stenness and rather naively proclaimed that the central stone slab was: "probably once the altar on which human sacrifices were made" Read more __________________

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Jan 30 13:10 2007

Orion’s belt	Permalink

If there is one constellation that dominates an Orkney winter, it must surely be Orion. Even to those not remotely interested in astronomy, this pattern of stars is one of the most striking and recognisable in night sky. Four bright stars form an hourglass shape around Orion’s "belt" - a band of three stars forming a straight (or almost straight) line. The 5,500-year-old Thornborough Henges, in North Yorkshire, had been declared to be the world’s first monument aligned to Orion. "Thornborough was a sacred landscape, a place of religious worship, and we should try to interpret these astronomical orientations within that context. This astronomical association was emphasised by the banks of the henges being coated in brilliant white gypsum. Neolithic people surely felt they were at the centre of the very cosmos as they worshipped the heavens above" - Dr Jan Harding, senior lecturer at Newcastle University. Read more __________________

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Jan 20 21:34 2007

Standing Stones of Stenness	Permalink

For those seeking the romantic gesture to end all romantic gestures, there's still time (a minimum 15 days' notice is needed) to arrange Valentine's Day nuptials on the ancient site that once held the world's biggest engagement ring. Orkney's Standing Stones of Stenness are widely believed to be part of a 5,000-year-old fertility site and associated rituals included handfasting ceremonies centred on a huge monolith with a hole in the middle. The prehistoric Stone of Odin is no longer there but in recent years "romancing the stone" on the site has become very popular with couples of all religious persuasions. Some bring a minister, some a Wiccan priest, some just do their own thing. Read more Latitude: 58.993977N Longitude: 3.207749W __________________

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