Ancient British stone circles were used for Neolithic parties, study finds

‘It’s where they came back to bury their dead, have summer and winter solstice festivals, and meet a partner’
Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith 5 hours ago



The Ring of Brodgar originally had 60 stones, but now has 27 Colin Richards, Historic England

Orkney is home to a host of Neolithic stone houses, stone circles and elaborate burial monuments, but a new study into the area has allowed experts to add a new purpose to the prehistoric communities’ use of some of these sites – partying.

New research led by Professor Alex Bayliss at Historic England has challenged the previously understood narrative for prehistoric life on the islands and painted a clearer picture of how communities farmed, gathered together at festivals and buried their dead.

The islands are home to renowned sites such as the Skara Brae settlement, Maeshowe passage grave, the Ring of Brodgar – which originally had 60 stones and is 104 metres in diameter - and Stones of Stenness circles, which were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999.

By examining more than 600 radiocarbon dates, scientists were able to gather much more precise estimates of the timing and duration of events in the period around 3200-2500 BC. The study, first published in Antiquity journal, is part of the wider project “The Times of Their Lives”.

More:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/orkney-stone-circles-neolithic-parties-study-a7957846.html