* Astronomy

Easter Aquhorthies Recumbent Stone Circle,
The 4000-year-old East Aquhorthies recumbent stone circle lies north east of Bennachie, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
It comprises of nine stones set in a low bank, a large 3.8 m recumbent and two flankers. In front of the recumbent are two large blocks of stone.
Easter Aquhorthies is one of the best preserved examples of this type of stone circle.
The site has been much restored and is one of the more famous of the Grampian circles.


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The 19.5 m diameter, stone circle is mostly composed of pink porphyry standing stones, apart from the third stone to the left of the recumbent, next to the east flanker, which is of red jasper.
The stones decrease in height from the 2.25 m flankers to the stones opposite the recumbent which are 1.7 m high. The flankers are grey granite, and the recumbent is red granite from near Bennachie.


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Latitude: 57.277010 Longitude: -2.445537

The site has not been excavated, it is not known whether there is a central cairn, but an early reference to a cist, and the rise in the profile of the interior, suggests that there may have been.