Stones in Scotland. The stone of Destiny
In addition to Edinburgh, Glasgow and the unique nature of the Highlands, Scotland includes about 800 islands. Most of them are small coastal areas of land that become islands during certain phases of high and low tides, but there are also quite impressive areas covered on all sides by sea waters. Each of Scotland's islands represents a unique little world in northern Europe. But from the point of view of the history of megalithic civilizations, in this region it is worth paying attention toMainland.
It is the largest of the Shetland Islands. It is connected by bridges to the small narrow islands of Trond, West Burra and East Burra. The Shetland Islands have been inhabited since time immemorial. One of the most important UNESCO World Heritage Sites is located on this island - a group of Neolithic monuments The Heart of Neolithic Orkney (literally "Neolithic Heart"). Their age is about 4-5 thousand years.
Lerwick is the administrative center of the Shetland Islands, a prosperous city located in a protected natural harbour. In the former capital, Skelloway, 10 km from Lerwick, there is Skelloway Castle, built in 1600. And in the western part of the island you can find Neolithic monuments of the Orkney Islands, prehistoric ruins, including a dolmen chamber and a well-preserved Neolithic settlement.
Megaliths of Stennes (Eng. Standing Stones of Stenness) is a Neolithic cromlech on the Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago, Scotland.
Located on the southwestern cape between Loch of Stennes and Loch of Harrey. The monument is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of four in the Neolithic Monuments of the Orkney Islands.
Midhowe - a large tomb (by type - a chamber cairn) of the Neolithic era, located on the south coast of Rousey Island in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. The name Midhow comes from a large Bronze Age broch west of the tomb. Together, the tomb and the broch form part of a large complex of ancient structures on the banks of the Eynhallow Sound (en: Eynhallow Sound), which separates Rowsey from the Mainland, the largest of the Orkney Islands.
The Circle of Brodgar is 1.2 km northwest, Midhaw and Barnhouse Monuments are a little east, Ansten Tomb is 3 km west, and Skara Brae is 10 km northwest.
Barnhouse Settlement ) - a recently discovered settlement of the Neolithic era on the shores of Loch of Harray (en: Loch of Harray) on the island of Mainland in the Orkney archipelago, not far from the megaliths of Stennes. The foundations of at least 15 different houses have been found here. The houses are similar in design to Skara Brae—they also have a central oven, beds against the walls, and stone cabinets for supplies—but differ in that the houses stand apart rather than in clusters. Fluted pottery, similar to that found at the megaliths of Stennes and at Skara Brae, as well as objects made of flint and other stones, and one tool made of obsidian, were also found here - presumably from the Isle of Arran. The largest of the buildings had a square room, the side length of which was 7 m, and walls about 3 m thick. The entrance to the building was directed to the north-west, so in the middle of summer the sun shone through it, which resembles the design of some chamber cairns .
Dwarfi Stane - letters. "dwarf stone" in the Scottish dialect of English is a megalithic burial ground at the turn of the 2nd-3rd millennium BC. e., carved from a giant solid block of red limestone. Located in a glacial valley on the island of Hoy in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. Initially, a stone slab blocked the entrance to the grave from the western side, but at present it lies on the ground in front of the burial ground. The burial ground consists of an entrance corridor with a chamber located in the northern and southern walls. The monument is unique in northern Europe, but has analogues among Neolithic or Bronze Age graves in the Mediterranean.
Ansten (Onsten, Onston), English.Unstan (Onstan, Onston) is a Neolithic cairn tomb on the Mainland Island in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. Built on a promontory jutting out into Loch of Stennes near the settlement of Howe, northwest of Stromness. By design, Ansten is an unusual hybrid of two types of chamber cairns. In addition, Ansten ceramics were discovered for the first time in Ansten.Judging by finds from nearby burials, both they and Ansten were built between 3400 and 2800. BC e. In Ansten, human remains were found - two skeletons in a crouched position in the side chamber, several more in the main chamber, and several bones lay in disarray throughout the tomb. In addition, animal bones and coal were found. Probably, Ansten continued to be used in the 2nd millennium BC. e. The arrowhead found in the tomb has a shape characteristic of the bell-shaped goblets culture that existed during the late Neolithic and Bronze Age.
Stennes -
The name Stennes comes from the Old Norse language and means "stone boundary (fields)". The Watch Stone is located outside the circle, next to the modern bridge leading to Brodgar's Circle. The stones are thin slabs about 300 mm thick. Four of them, up to 5 meters high, were originally elements of an elliptical cromlech of 12 stones with a diameter of about 32 meters, built on a flat area with a diameter of 44 meters, surrounded by a moat. The moat deepens into the rocky soil to a depth of 2 meters, its width is 7 meters, it was surrounded by an earthen embankment with one passage on the north side. The entrance faces the Neolithic settlement of Barnhouse, discovered not far from Loch of Harrey.
The Watch Stone is located outside the circle, to the northwest. Its height is 5.6 meters. Other, smaller stones include a square stone structure in the center of a round platform where cremated bone remains, coal and pottery were found, and animal bones were found in the moat around. The pottery found here bears a resemblance to the pottery found at Skara Brae and Midhau, thus the Stennes megaliths date back to at least 3000 BC. e.
Circle of Brodgar or Brogar (English)Ring of Brodgar , Brogar) is a Neolithic cromlech on the Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago, Scotland. Located on a narrow isthmus between Loch of Stennes and Loch of Harrey, sometimes called the "Broadgar Bridge". The monument is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of four in the Neolithic Monuments of the Orkney Islands. The Stennes Megaliths, Midhaw and Barnhouse Monuments are 1.2 kilometers southeast of Brodgar Circle, while Skara Brae is 10 kilometers to the northwest. Probably built between 2500 and 2000 BC. e., but the exact age of this large-scale megalithic structure is unknown, since it has not yet been explored by archaeologists. Previously, there were 60 megaliths around the site with a diameter of 104 m. Only 27 of them have survived to this day. Brodgar Circle is the third largest cromlech in the British Isles.
Skara Brae - a large and well-preserved settlement of the Neolithic era, discovered at the Bay of Skaill (en: Bay of Skaill) on the west coast of the Mainland Island, Orkney Islands, Scotland. It consists of 8 houses, united in blocks, which were inhabited in the period approximately 3100-2500 years. BC e.
Knap of Howar - exceptionally well-preserved buildings of the Neolithic era on the island of Papa Westray in the Orkney archipelago in northern Scotland. They are considered one of the most ancient examples of stone houses that have survived to this day in northern Europe. According to radiocarbon analysis, they were used in the period 3500 - 3100 BC. e.
carlin stone witch stone
Clach an Truiseil
Easter Aquhorthies
Lewis and Harris is one of the largest British Isles, after Great Britain and Ireland. It regularly finds itself in the top or even in first place in various ratings of the best islands in Europe. Here are the most picturesque landscapes and the spirit of real Scottish culture reigns.
In Lewis, the northern part of the island, tourists admire the legendary stones of Callanish (Callenish), which is commonly referred to as the "Scottish Stonehenge".
The Isle of Lewis is a rather deserted place about 130 km north of the Isle of Barra. Callenish consists of a ring containing 13 stones, with one central stone, an alley, and other stones arranged in order. It has been suggested that the direction of the alley coincides with the direction of the rising point of Capella and that the 4 stones to the east of the alley indicate the rising point of the Pleiades. But in fact, a star rising above the horizon at sea level, even under the most favorable atmospheric conditions, seems to be about 6 orders of magnitude fainter than it is in reality. Yes, and the Chapel at sunrise glows very faintly (it is hard to see), and the Pleiades are not visible to the naked eye at all. In addition, it was believed that one of the directions could be associated with the Moon. If so, then Callanish is the first structure on the list of megalithic sites that could have been used in the same way as Stonehenge.
A little later, with the help of a rectangular grid, measurements were made of the position of all the Callenish stones. Then the calculations of the azimuths of all lines connecting these stones in pairs were performed. In Callanish, 10 directions were found associated with the extreme positions of the Sun and Moon at sunrise and sunset.
Moreover, as can be seen from the plan, they are the main ones in the entire structure. The latitude at which Callenish is located is of independent interest.
It almost coincides with the "Arctic Circle" for the Moon, i.e. with the latitude at which the Moon does not rise above the southern horizon at its southernmost declination. The megalithic structure is 1.3° south of the critical latitude, and every 18 or 19 years at the summer solstice the full moon is 1° above the southern horizon. A row of stones (from the 24th to the 28th) indicates the points of rising, culmination and setting of the moon on the days when it is lowest above the horizon line. On the day of the winter solstice, the moon descends over Mount Clishema (the highest mountain of the Harris Peninsula) and the axis of the alley points to it. It is possible that the coincidence of the moon's setting and the peak of the mountain was of great importance for the construction of Callanish.
Of greatest interest to scientists is the eastern triangle with the apex formed by stones 30, 33 and 35. When viewed from point 35, the fluctuations in the declination of the winter Moon from +18.7 ° to +29 ° are indicated by stones from the 30th to the 33rd. On average, the winter moon is three years in each of the gaps between these stones. Stone 35, together with the second stone, represent three different lunar directions.
In general, most stones mark two lunar or solar directions. Therefore, the theory was put forward that the location of the stones in Callenish does not coincide by chance with astronomical directions. The height error when placing the stones is only 0.5°. This accuracy is much better than at Stonehenge, but this is mainly due to the higher latitude.
The most mysterious is how the Stone Age Britons used Callanish. Most likely, it was used as a calendar, although it is possible that it could be used to predict eclipses. Upon closer acquaintance with Callenish, it turned out that it can be used as a machine for counting days. In this, the structure has much in common with Stonehenge - openaxiom.ru. Due to the fact that the stone ring in Callanish does not determine any solar or lunar directions, we can conclude that it plays the same role as the Aubrey holes and the sarsen ring of Stonehenge. The ring in Callenish contains 13 stones (12b large and 1 small). These figures underlie the lunisolar calendar and could be used to count the so-called short years, containing 12 lunar months, and long years, consisting of 13 lunar months. A similar system is still used in the Jewish calendar.
The priests of Callanish could observe and predict eclipses, although the evidence for this is not as strong as for Stonehenge. The rising of the winter moon over stone 34 would clearly indicate that an eclipse was coming. Lines indicating directions to the points of sunrise and moonset during the equinoxes also indicate interest in winter and summer eclipses. When the Sun rose in the direction from stone 20 to stone 23, and the Moon set in the direction from stone 30 to stone 33, an eclipse could occur during the summer or winter solstice. Thus, the priests of Callanish were able to predict eclipses from observations they made at different times during the year.
Nevertheless, to predict all lunar eclipses at a given time of the year would require a 56-year observation cycle consisting of intervals of 19, 19 and 18 years. The priests were quite able to make such observations if they excluded stone 34 when going around every third circle, counted relative to the main direction. It is possible that the 56-year cycle was known to the priests of Callanish, but they did not openly show their knowledge, as did the builders of Stonehenge, who erected a ring with 56 marked positions. Although there is an astronomical orientation of the lines in Callanish, but its use as a computing machine is only an assumption. But the excavations at Callanish have not yet been completed and there is no certainty that only 19 stones were found in the alley and that the ring consisted of 13. All of the above indicates that when creating Callanish, its builders were as accurate as the authors of Stonehenge, but they clearly lacked scientific knowledge.
This unremarkable block of sandstone weighing 152 kg is one of the most significant historical artifacts and perhaps the most sacred relic in Scotland. In the world, it is known by many names: Skunk Stone, Coronation Stone, Jacob's Pillow, Stone of Destiny. For many centuries, the Skoon Stone has been used for the coronation of Scottish and English monarchs.
Like whiskey, thistle, kilt, plaid and bagpipes, it has long been a symbol of Scottish freedom and independence. Today, this piece of red sandstone rests peacefully in Edinburgh Castle, but until recently, passions boiled around it.
The Scots love to tell such a story: the Lord, having created Scotland and looking with pleasure at the fruits of his labors, called the archangel Gabriel to enjoy this spectacle.
“Just look,” exclaimed the Almighty. Here is my best creation! Majestic mountains, courageous men, beautiful women, wonderful cool weather. And I also gave them beautiful music and a special drink called whiskey. Try it."
Gabriel took a sip of whiskey, praised God and said: “Great! But don't you think that you are too generous? Are you afraid to spoil them? Maybe add a fly in the ointment to their barrel of honey? To which the Lord replied: “If only you knew what kind of neighbors I gave them!”
Indeed, relations between the two neighbors - the Scots and the British have always left much to be desired. The British, with their imperial manners, were always eager to conquer the proud mountaineers, and they, in turn, fiercely hated them and defended their own freedom.
Scotland's struggle for independence began in 1066, and ended only in 1707, when the two countries united into a single kingdom. It would seem that since then a lot of water has flowed under the bridge - after all, for three centuries, two former sworn enemies live peacefully and amicably. But even now the Scots continue to divide all peoples into two categories - the English and everyone else.
Scotland has its own government, its own parliament, its own money, its own flag. And the referendum on the withdrawal of Scotland from the United Kingdom, held in 2014, showed that the struggle for independence continues, and in this struggle the Stone of Destiny has always played an important role.
There are a lot of events and stories associated with this stone, as well as legends. According to the most popular of them, the Stone of Destiny is associated with Fergus, the first king of the Scots in Scotland. He brought the stone from Ireland to Dal Riada (now Argyll), where he was crowned.
Traditions connect the origin of the Stone of Destiny with the name of the biblical patriarch Jacob, who lived more than three thousand years ago. The Bible tells that one night Jacob put a stone under his head, and that same night he had a vision: a ladder descending from heaven, along which angels ascend and descend. So the seemingly unremarkable sandstone turned out to be endowed with miraculous power.
His fate is known only from legends. One of them says: after the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, the daughter of Pharaoh Ramses II named Scota also left with the stone. In search of the promised land, she went north. After long wanderings, the princess reached the northern coast of Ireland, and from there to the shores of modern Scotland.
At that time, the Picts, Britons and Gaels lived there - harsh and irreconcilable peoples. But the princess was imbued with sympathy for them, and she came to the court of semi-wild tribes, and so much so that after some time the locals began to call themselves “scoti”. From this word came the name of the whole country - Scotia, which later turned into Scotland - Scotland.
According to another version, this stone was brought with him by Saint Colombo, who baptized Scotland. He used it as an altar during his sermons and baptisms. The stone has become a symbol of the connection of Northern Britain with the Lord, so only the anointed of God can become the king of Scotland. If, during the coronation, someone not of royal blood sits on the stone, then the stone begins to ring.
In general, there are many options, and which of the legends to believe in, everyone decides for himself. But if you listen to scientists, everything will be much easier. Most likely, the Scots themselves composed these tales when they turned to the Pope with a letter in which they wanted to convince the Vatican that they were in the British Isles longer than the British. And the Stone of Destiny is another proof of that.
During the early Middle Ages, the Stone of Destiny was located in the fortress of Dunadd. In 847, King Kenneth I of Scotland, after the union of the Gaels and Picts, moved him to Scone. Since then, Scottish kings have sat on the Skoon Stone during their coronation.
But in 1296 the usual order of things was broken. The English king Edward I Long-legged invaded Scotland with his army, defeated the Scots, captured King John Balliol and imprisoned him in the Tower. And soon after the Scottish king, the Stone of Destiny went to England.
There he was placed under the seat of the Coronation Chair of the Kings of Britain, which was supposed to symbolize the power of England over Scotland. But the morale of the Scots was impossible to break. In 1298, William Wallace rebelled against the English. After a long standoff, Edward I seized Wallace by deceit and ordered that his head be cut off.
But the Scots did not lay down their arms: Robert the Bruce again raised the Scots and drove the British out of the country. However, the treacherous English did not return the Stone of Destiny to the Scots, although back in 1328, the Treaty of Northampton was concluded between England and Scotland - a peace agreement, according to one of the clauses of which the Stone of Scuna was to be returned to Scotland.
Coronation throne in Westminster Abbey, London
However, he was destined to remain in England for another six centuries and the reason was the prediction of one of the British monks, which said: "Where this Stone lies, there is the king of the Scots."
Again, the Skuna Stone reminded of itself in the middle of the last century. On Christmas morning in 1950, four Scottish students from the University of Glasgow - Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stewart quietly entered Westminster Abbey and stole the ancient shrine.
One of the kidnappers, Kay Matheson, looks at the Scuna Stone in Edinburgh, 2004.
When they tried to remove the stone from the Coronation Throne, it broke into two pieces. They managed to take these pieces to Glasgow, where a professional stonemason, Robert Gray, glued the pieces together. The theft of the sandstone caused a huge public outcry in Scotland, as Scottish nationalists have repeatedly tried to steal the Stone of Destiny, but none of the attempts were successful.
In April 1951, students, not wanting to turn a symbolic kidnapping into a banal theft, brought a stone to the ruins of Arbroath Abbey, famous for the fact that it was here that the “Arbroath Declaration” of Scottish independence was adopted in the early 14th century, and anonymously informed the police about its whereabouts.
The local authorities returned the stone to Westminster Abbey and it was again placed at the base of the Coronation Throne. In 1953, during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, she symbolically sat on the same throne of Edward I, under whose seat the long-suffering Scottish relic rested.
Another 43 years passed before the stubborn Scots finally got their way. In 1996, the British government decided to transfer the stone to Scotland, but it was agreed that the British would borrow it for the duration of the coronations. On November 30 of that year, the Scone Stone returned to Scotland and was placed alongside the Scottish Crown Jewels at Edinburgh Castle.
On that memorable day for all of Scotland, about 10,000 Scots lined up along the Royal Mile in order to see with their own eyes the solemn procession of the clergy and soldiers accompanying the Stone of Destiny.
Used materials from the article by Irina Perfilova from the site
The intoxicating idea that you can travel through time by touching the mysterious standing stones of Craig-na-Dune runs like a string through the heart of the much-acclaimed Outlander show. But those who plan to try to fly like Claire through time in the hope of overtaking Jamie are in for bad news and a serious problem - the stones of Craig-on-Dune do not actually exist.
Yes, unfortunately, the standing stones on windswept Rannoch Moor are only built for the filming of Outlander. But do not despair - I have traveled far and wide across Scotland and during my travels I have discovered about a dozen places where there are real standing stones, which are even better than the stones of Craig-on-Dun, because they are real. And now I will introduce you to the six most interesting places.
Callanish (Calanais)
We travel to the remote Hebrides, where Handsome Prince Charlie hid after the Battle of Culloden before fleeing to France. Here is an impressive stone circle, whose age is 5 thousand years! Embracing such ancient stones, it is easy to imagine yourself transported through time. You just have to close your eyes and you will feel like a part of this place. It also has stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Ring of Brodgar (The Ring of Brodgar)
Brodgar's ring consists of 36 stones - about half of what once stood here, there are also about a dozen barrows and a stone ditch surrounding the ring. These stones are part of the very heart of the Neolithic in Orkney, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Scottish geologist Hugh Miller described the place in 1846: "A collection of ancient druids, mysteriously severe and irresistibly quiet and shaggy." This place is incredibly romantic. If you're a fan of Outlander, you'll love this one.
Cairnpapple Hill (Cairnpapple)
I was born and raised near this evocative prehistoric site, so I have a special affection for it. If you make an Outlander pilgrimage to Linlithgow Palace, Darkness Castle and Hopetoun House, you can easily visit this place, which by the way is more than 4 thousand years old - older than the Bronze Age! You can wander around the remains of the circle and visit the funerary pyramid at the top of the hill for a fantastic view! You will see the bridges, and Edinburgh, and far to the west, Gotfell Peak on the Isle of Arran. Standing on a hill, you can easily imagine Jamie and Claire embracing each other in a life-affirming embrace.
Kilmartin (Kilmartin)
This ancient energy base of the Celtic kings of Dalriada can be confusing for its historical richness. There are funerary pyramids and a castle, standing stones and circles dotted through the valley, which is literally steeped in history. It's hard not to feel transported through the centuries here, and it takes probably half a day to get around everything. There are over 300 different objects scattered across the terrain within 6 miles of the tiny village of Kilmartin, making it the most comprehensive Neolithic and Bronze Age site in the area of Scotland. If I was a producer on Outlander, I would look into filming some scenes here.
The Twelve Apostles
Even many Scots have not heard of this wonderful place, since it is not included in the National Fund of Scotland. But it certainly deserves its place on this list as it is the largest stone circle on the Scottish mainland. Local legend says that the stones were erected here by the twelve Apostles, hence the name. But at present there are only eleven stones out of a dozen, one simply mysteriously disappeared between 1789 and 1837. Perhaps this is the work of Jamie Fraser or Black Jack Randall? The southern location of this place seems to be connected with the stone circles in Cumbria in England, as a result of which England and Scotland united, as Jamie and Claire did in their time.
Arran
Okay, I'm being a little sly here, but I think you'll forgive me when I take you "Over the Sea" ("Over the Sea" - song from the Outlander theme song) on a ferry to Scotland's seventh largest island, the glorious Isle of Arran. Arran is home to many standing stones. The most famous are found in the windswept Machie wasteland, and you will be incredibly amazed at being almost invisible against the background of these ancient stones, and in the distance the tops of the hills of Arran will glare at you from beneath their brows.
The much less visited Auchagallon stone circle is nearby, and there are other stone circles and standing stones scattered around the island. You can find them in marked places or right by the side of the road or - in the case of Old Byre - standing proudly outside a cafe.
So, you just have to choose which standing stones to go to, and who knows, maybe you will be the lucky one to go on a journey through time.
The Stone of Scone is one of the sacred relics of Scotland; for many centuries, Scottish kings and, probably, even the kings of Dalriada, the ancient kingdom of Scotland, were crowned on it. According to legend, this mysterious stone has a unique gift: it is able to distinguish a true monarch from a false pretender to the throne (if this happens, the stone will crack, making a terrible sound). For a long time, the Stone of Destiny was kept in Westminster Abbey (in 1296, King Edward I of England ordered it to be brought from Scotland). In 1328, the Treaty of Northampton was concluded between England and Scotland, a peace treaty, according to one of the clauses of which the Stone of Destiny was to be returned to Scotland. However, he was destined to remain in England for another six centuries, and only in 1996 he was returned back to Scotland, where he still arrives, in Edinburgh Castle...The Stone of Destiny is a large block of sandstone with metal hooks weighing 152 kg. It is also often referred to as Jacob's Pillow, Skunk Stone or Coronation Stone according to existing legends about it... One of the legends is over 3000 years old. Tradition says that Pharaoh Ramesses II had a daughter named Scota. After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the princess left Egypt and wandered the Middle East for more than a thousand years in search of her own promised land, reached Spain and went to Ireland. Having reached the northern coast of Ireland, she finally found what she had been striving for for so long - the lands later called Scotland (from the name of Scota the name of the country, which in the original sounds like Scotland, went). Scott brought with her a large piece of sandstone, this was the Stone of Destiny.
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According to another legend, it was this stone that the progenitor of the Israeli people, Jacob, put under his head instead of a pillow and saw in a dream a ladder that reached heaven, along which angels ascended and descended, and then he saw God himself, who appeared to him and predicted: “From you will come the people through which I will reveal myself to the world. I will bless and multiply you and bring you back to your land
". (I can not vouch for the accuracy of the quote). According to another legend, the Stone of Destiny belonged to Gatel (and not to Scott), who, fleeing the plague, took it from Syria to Egypt, and then, on the advice of Moses, went with his wife and the Stone to Spain and finally sent the Stone of Destiny to that area Ireland, which then passed to Scotland. And finally, another legend claims that the Stone of Destiny served as an altar during the missionary travels of St. Columba. In 847 King Kenneth I of Scotland placed the Stone at Scone Castle. And since then, the kings of Scotland during the coronation ceremony sat on this stone. In 1296, King Edward I seized the Stone of Destiny, among other spoils of war, and transported it to Westminster Abbey. However, it is not known for certain whether Edward captured a real stone or a fake, since it is believed that the monks from Scoon drowned the real Stone of Destiny in the River Tay or buried it on Dunsinan Hill. In addition, rumors arose from time to time that the real Stone of Destiny was among the treasures of the Templars. But it's all guesswork... The Stone of Destiny was placed under the seat of the wooden throne ("St Edward's Chair") in Westminster Abbey, on which all English monarchs were crowned. Under the seat of the throne, a special recess was provided for the Stone of Destiny, for which the throne is slightly raised - four gilded lions serve as a support for it.
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Since then, all English kings have sat on this throne with a stone built into it during their coronation. Including the now living Queen Elizabeth II, in whose veins the blood of the oldest Scottish rulers flows, observed this custom at the coronation in 1953 ... By the way, with Her filing in 1996, historical justice was restored - the Stone of Destiny returned back to Scotland . However, it was agreed that the British would borrow the stone for the duration of the coronations...
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So, on St. Andrew's Day, November 30, 1996, the Stone of Destiny returned to Scotland and was placed next to the Scottish royal regalia at Edinburgh Castle. On this memorable day for all of Scotland, about 10,000 people lined the Royal Mile (Royal Mile) in order to see with their own eyes the procession of clergy and soldiers accompanying the Stone of Destiny. True, until this moment in the history of the stone, legendary in every sense, there was another turn ... In the early morning of December 25 (on Christmas Day), 1950, four Scottish students from the University of Glasgow broke into Westminster Abbey and stole the Stone. Later, they had to return the stone to the police, but experts believe that they could have replaced it by issuing a fake. So there is a possibility that the stone currently kept in Edinburgh Castle is a counterfeit of the Westminster Stone, which was a counterfeit of the original Stone of Destiny. ;) Here is such a straight detective story!
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Megaliths are called ancient structures made of huge stone blocks, created by people. In our time, many such structures have already been found around the world, but their true origin and purpose is still a mystery to scientists.
Scottish Stonehenge
Scottish Stonehenge, or as it is also called Callanish, is located on the Isle of Lewis, which is part of the outer Hebrides. It is located in a deserted gloomy place near the city of Stornoway. Kallenish is a cromlech of thirteen vertically set huge stones. Twelve of them form a ring, in the middle of which is a stone pyramid. Around this structure there is an alley and other stones that could previously form concentric circles.
Scientists who have studied this architectural monument believe that it is an ancient observatory, where our ancestors monitored the position of celestial bodies. According to the location of these stones, they could determine the days of the lunar and solar eclipses, and various rituals were held here on the days of the summer and winter solstices. Kallenish could also serve as a kind of calendar by which our ancestors calculated time.
Standing Stenness Stones
The standing stones of Stenness are located in the Orkney Islands near Lake Harrey on a flat platform with a diameter of forty-four meters. They are twelve huge stone slabs up to five meters high and thirty centimeters thick, installed vertically in the form of a ring with a diameter of about thirty-two meters. In the center of this circle is a monolithic slab. The entrance to the circle faces the ancient village of Barnhouse. Outside the circle is another stone, which, according to scientists, is a viewing stone. Around the stones is a ditch seven meters wide and two meters deep. The age of this structure dates back to 3000 BC. This majestic spectacle still looks mystical.
According to scientists, the Standing Stones of Stenness could be a temple of the sun or the so-called ancient observatory, in which people watched the movement of celestial bodies. The stone slab in the center of the circle, apparently, played the role of an altar for sacrifices, which were carried out on the days of the summer and winter solstices. This conclusion was made after charred animal bones were found at this place.
Ring of Brodgar
Ring of Brodgar is located on Mainland Island, the largest of the islands in the Orkney archipelago. It is located on a narrow strip of land connecting the two lakes of Harrey and Stennes. Brodgar's ring is a circle of one hundred and four meters in diameter of vertically standing stones, two to five meters high. This is one of the largest stone circles in the UK. Scientists suggest that there were at least sixty stones in total, but only twenty-seven of them have survived to this day. The stones are surrounded by a ditch nine meters wide and three and a half meters deep, two passages were made to them.
Some suggest that the Ring of Brodgar, together with the Standing Stones of Stenness, form what is known as the Orkney Complex. In this case, the Ring of Brodgar should play the role of the Temple of the Moon. The position of the moon was determined by the location of the stones and the lunar calendar was calculated. Brodgar's Ring has been little explored, but research is still ongoing. Scientists managed to find out the position of forty of them, as well as put forward several hypotheses of their origin and purpose.
Maeshowe's tomb
Maeshowe's tomb is located in the Orkney Islands near the Standing Stones of Stenness. This is a corridor-type tomb and a burial cairn, perfectly preserved to this day, which have no analogues anywhere in the world. Maeshowe's tomb is a mound, inside of which a whole system of corridors and rooms is hidden, formed by processed slabs of mica sandstone. The mass of one such plate reaches thirty tons. The tomb is built in such a way that on the day of the winter solstice its central chamber is illuminated. This principle was used in the construction of other similar tombs.
Despite the fact that the tomb itself is a unique monument of ancient archeology, unfortunately, it has not preserved any important artifacts and finds to this day. It so happened due to the fact that in the twelfth century the Vikings plundered the tomb, but after themselves they left runic records interesting for historians. In addition, negligent archaeologists, who were initially engaged in excavations, destroyed the roof of the tomb.
