Stone Circles:

Neolithic Monumentality in Aberdeenshire
By James Summers
"We sometimes feel a kinship with, and are strangely drawn to the dead, the long, long dead, the men who knew not life in towns, and felt no strangeness in sun and wind and rain. In such a mood on that evening I went to one of those lonely barrows."
"And felt the hillside thronged by souls unseen,
Who knew the interest in me, and were keen,
That man alive should understand man dead"
So wrote the eminent writer and naturalist, William Henry Hudson, and author and Poet Laureate, John Masefield, eloquent and emotive expressions of our kinship with, and insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding of our long departed ancestors. Very few places on the globe confront us daily with so many vivid reminders and physical traces of the industrious achievements, of our Neolithic forbears, as that of the rolling fertile countryside of Aberdeenshire.

The numerous surviving examples of Neolithic monuments in North East Scotland, are indicative of the region's rich and varied Neolithic heritage, a heritage which is renowned and respected by historians, archaeologists and antiquarians across the world, both for the quality and quantity of remaining evidence.

The numerous surviving examples of Neolithic monuments in North East Scotland, are indicative of the region's rich and varied Neolithic heritage, a heritage which is renowned and respected by historians, archaeologists and antiquarians across the world, both for the quality and quantity of remaining evidence. Few would disagree, that of the numerically impressive array of Neolithic monuments which, can still be seen in the region, by far the most imposing, and indeed enigmatic, are the Bronze Age recumbent stone circles of Aberdeenshire. These monuments not only represent the highest concentration of stone circles anywhere in mainland Britain, they are also unique by design, with no similar examples being found outwith the area bounded by the rivers Don and Deveron.

These monuments also mark a dramatic step change in human development, the transition from 6,000 years of itinerant and nomadic, yet prosperous existence as hunter gatherers, to that of settled habitation. A transition made possible by employment of the new technology of agriculture and land management, which had gradually but inexorably spread eastwards since it's inception in the Near East in 8,000-9.000 BCE.
While little remains, or perhaps more accurately, little has as yet been discovered of the domestic habitations and settlements of our early farming ancestors, their endeavours in creating monuments to fill their spiritual and ritualistic requirements can still be seen and appreciated 4,000-5,000 years later.

The sheer number and concentration of these monuments is indicative of the social demographics of the era, Aberdeenshire was clearly "the place to be" and exemplified, "a happening and innovative sort region". This is also born out by archaeological discoveries of artefacts on an unprecedented scale, like the indigenous carved stone balls, and the anomalous discovery of, despite our remote location, the earliest examples of stone moulds for casting bronze axe heads to be found in Scotland.

The recumbent stone circles also exemplify this innovative Zeitgeist which prospered in Bronze Age Aberdeenshire. The uniqueness of design, lies in the recumbent stone, a large stone (the largest example at Old Keig weighing in at fifty three tons/sixty one tonnes), set on it's side on the circumference of the stone circle, abutted by two upright flanker stones. The positioning of the recumbent stone, which without exception, is centred on the South-South West compass point of the circle, gives us an insight into the ritualistic nature of Neolithic society, and the astronomical knowledge of our Neolithic forbears.

The precise physical positioning of the stone circles was also clearly of great import. They are usually to be found on raised ground with good open views toward the southern horizon, and in many cases, amidst the prime Neolithic commodity of arable land, despite the fact that in many cases, similarly appointed land, unsuited to agriculture, lies close at hand. This also required the supreme physical effort of transporting suitable material of great weight many miles to a specified location. In the case of the Old Keig recumbent stone, this involved manhandling fifty-three tons of granite across six miles, or ten kilometres of undulating countryside, with the final half-mile being steadily uphill.

The combination of purposeful site locations, recumbent stone alignments and the Northerly latitude permit these monuments to precisely interact with a celestial phenomenon, which can be observed every eighteen years. When the Earth is at its maximum processional orbit, the Moon's path across the sky is discernibly lower than normal. When viewed from a recumbent stone circle at appointed times, it creates the effect of the Moon appearing from behind one flanker stone, rolling or gliding along the flat top of the recumbent, and disappearing behind the other flanker.

This creation of this effect, a magical interaction or union between the celestial and terrestrial worlds, clearly played a major role in the functional design of these Neolithic monuments. However, the significance of this concept in their ceremonial rituals and beliefs, remains unknown, and will in all probability, remain so. Subsequently, these monuments to the ingenuity of our Neolithic ancestors will continue to retain their genuinely enigmatic air of mystery.

Further celestial alignments between the central stone circle and first magnitude stars, using peripheral marker stones, have also been recorded at various Neolithic sites. Unfortunately, historical damage by farming practices, or wanton acts of zealous Christian vandalism, to many of the sites has destroyed or disrupted much of the evidence, which could confirm the extent of this astronomical knowledge. The technical knowledge and practical ability, to precisely read and interpret the cyclical movements of the day and night sky, was certainly known to our ancestors, and indeed, was fundamental to their very existence.

Another unusual design feature of Aberdeenshire's recumbent stone circles is the alignment of the recumbent stone in relation to the circumference of the circle itself. In figure 3, a plan of the Loanhead of Daviot Stone Circle, the length-wise axis of the recumbent stone is clearly and intentionally mis-aligned with the circumference by almost 15°, as are the recumbent stones of every other surviving example of this style of monument. Though interestingly, they do not all conform with the layout illustrated, where the axis arcs toward the centre in an anti-clockwise, or rather, anti sun-wise rotation, this arc towards the centre is reversed in some examples.

This feature is again clearly by design, and was undoubtedly integral to their ritualistic and ceremonial practices. A physical consequence of this, is that a path traced by following the outer circumference of a circle, describes a spiral, one of the earliest forms of artistic decoration, which leads into the monument, sun-wise to enter and anti sun-wise to exit, or vice versa.

Colour may also have played a part in the design philosophy of these monuments, this is exemplified in, and best appreciated at the showcase recumbent stone circle at East Auquorthies, near Inverurie, which has been maintained by the National Trust for Scotland. The circle is comprised of pink porphyry and red jasper stones, with flankers of grey granite abutting a red granite recumbent slab.

Many of the recumbent stones to be found in the region bear cup and ring marks, hemispherical depressions, a variation of the rock-art tradition which stretches from Brittany to Shetland, which have been patiently tooled or carved out of the granite. The purpose of which is again unclear, though it is believed that they may serve a ritualistic function, and mark the position of the moon at specific points in the lunar cycle.
Ongoing scientific and archaeological research is currently investigating a curious acoustic anomaly, which is apparently present in these, and many other Neolithic monuments, whereby the stones appear to act as sounding boards for any noise generated within the circle. The effect of this being, that the acoustic sound waves produced by for example, a simple percussion instrument, are bounced or deflected around the circle, leading to sound wave compression and annulment, or generation of a phenomenon called infra sound.

Infra sound being of a frequency inaudible to the human ear, but a frequency which can be physically experienced, and may lead anyone who experiences it to encounter feelings of drowsiness, euphoria, nausea, or even to completely lose consciousness. However, it must be stressed that although the limited investigation of infra sound in Neolithic monuments has produced some startling results, it is still inconclusive, and cannot be accepted as having a functional role in the design philosophy of these monuments.
It is still possible, with cursory examination, to find shards of white quartz and Neolithic pottery lying on the ground around these monuments, usually as the result of animal burrowing activity. The white quartz shards being part of an apparently ritualistic shattering of quartz boulders within the monument, and the pottery shards coming from later burials of partial cremations in earthenware pots.

However, while enjoying the majesty and mystery our common heritage, in the blissful peace and tranquillity of these sacred places, please consider the fact that, like all Neolithic sites, they are of great import, and as such, they should be treated with great respect. Since so much information about these sites has yet to be ascertained or discovered, they are protected against unsanctioned excavation, it is therefore vital, that even surface finds should be passed onto the relevant authorities for verification and recording.

James M. Summers