STANDING STONES

On the other side of the Ness of Brodgar to the Ring are the Standing Stones of Stenness. This is another henge, originally of 12 monoliths in a circle 100ft (30m) in diameter. Today, only four uprights remain, the tallest of which is more than 16ft (5m) high. It is surrounded by a rock cut ditch 6½ft (2m) deep, 23ft (7m) wide and 144ft (44m) in diameter. This has become filled in over the years. Excavation revealed a square setting of stones and bedding holes for further uprights. Cattle, sheep and dog bones as well as a human finger were found in the ditch as well as shards of Grooved Ware pottery. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the circle was built in approximately 3000BC, making it older than many henge monuments further south in Britain. In midsummer the sun rises over a notch in the Rendall hills and sets far to the north over the Sandwick hills. Every 18.6 years, a lunar standstill occurs, when the moon reaches its lowest declination. From the stones, it appears to skim the Orphir hills. It seems likely that observation of this event was part of the Neolithic ritual.