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Axial stone circle
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Axial stone circle
An axial stone circle is a megalithic ring of stones of a particular design found in County Cork and County Kerry in southwest Ireland. Archaeologists have found it convenient to consider the axial five-stone circle and axial multiple-stone circle separately. The circle has an approximate axis of symmetry aligned in a generally northeast–southwest direction. The stone at the southwest side of the circle, rather than being an upright orthostat like all the rest, is a slab lying horizontally with its long thin edge along the circumference of the ring. Because it marks the axis of the circle it is called the axial stone.
Constructed in the Bronze Age, axial stone circles have an odd number of stones with two stones placed on either side of where the axis crosses the northeast side of the ring. The pair of uprights is generally taller that any of the others and they frame what is sometimes regarded as the entrance, or portal, to the ring. For this reason these two stones are called portal stones.
Early in the 20th century this type of circle was called a recumbent stone circle by analogy with similar examples in Scotland but when it became clear there were substantial differences the term Cork–Kerry stone circle was adopted and later the term "axial stone circle" became used as a synonym. Ó Nualláin (1984) has published a comprehensive survey.
Drombeg stone circle has been excavated and has been particularly well studied. When an observer looks southwest along its axis the midwinter sun can be seen to set behind a notch on the skyline directly over the axial stone. However, no other axial circles have a comparable characteristic and statistical analysis over the circles as a whole show their alignments do not point accurately to any significant rising or setting positions of sun, moon or major stars.
There are 56 multiple-stone circles and 56 five-stone circles in counties Cork and Kerry combined. The locations can be displayed dynamically via the OpenStreetMap viewer (there is an additional multiple-stone circle in County Clare). Ireland's National Monuments Service, part of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, operates a database that includes archaeology sites. List of axial multiple-stone circles lists the sites classified as "stone circle – multiple-stone" and likewise List of axial five-stone circles for "stone circle – five-stone".
Somerville (1909) first reported that the axis of Drombeg stone circle aligned with the setting of the sun at midwinter over the axial stone. He noted this stone had been deliberately laid in an orientation along its long edge and it had not merely fallen like this. He called the structure a recumbent stone circle because of a perceived similarity with stone circles in northeast Scotland which by that time had been carefully surveyed by Frederick Coles. The similarities are that the recumbent stone lies lengthways along the southwest circumference of the circle and there are two orthostats (upright stones) taller than the rest. In Scotland the recumbent stone is a massive block and the two tallest stones, "flankers", stand at each end of it. In Ireland, however, the recumbent stone is a somewhat thin slab, quite modest in size, and Ó Nualláin regarded it as lying "upright". In Ireland the tall orthostats lie opposite to the recumbent stone and not beside it, so, seeking a name to differentiate the Irish stone circles, Ó Nualláin called them "Cork–Kerry stone circles" and the stone to the southwest he called the "axial stone".
Ó Nualláin studied 88 circles with axial stones and recognised two different types according to the number of stones in the ring. Forty-three circles had five stones ("five-stone circles") and forty-five had seven or more stones ("multiple-stone circles"). The latter have up to nineteen stones but they mostly have nine, eleven or thirteen. Those with multiple stones bear a greater similarity to the recumbent stone circles of Scotland.
Axial (or Cork–Kerry) stone circles were constructed in the middle to late Bronze Age (1500 BC - 800 BC) with the multiple-stone circles coming in the earlier part of this period. To give some context, copper mining started in Kerry as early as 2400 BC – portal tombs and wedge tombs were even earlier.
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Axial stone circle
An axial stone circle is a megalithic ring of stones of a particular design found in County Cork and County Kerry in southwest Ireland. Archaeologists have found it convenient to consider the axial five-stone circle and axial multiple-stone circle separately. The circle has an approximate axis of symmetry aligned in a generally northeast–southwest direction. The stone at the southwest side of the circle, rather than being an upright orthostat like all the rest, is a slab lying horizontally with its long thin edge along the circumference of the ring. Because it marks the axis of the circle it is called the axial stone.
Constructed in the Bronze Age, axial stone circles have an odd number of stones with two stones placed on either side of where the axis crosses the northeast side of the ring. The pair of uprights is generally taller that any of the others and they frame what is sometimes regarded as the entrance, or portal, to the ring. For this reason these two stones are called portal stones.
Early in the 20th century this type of circle was called a recumbent stone circle by analogy with similar examples in Scotland but when it became clear there were substantial differences the term Cork–Kerry stone circle was adopted and later the term "axial stone circle" became used as a synonym. Ó Nualláin (1984) has published a comprehensive survey.
Drombeg stone circle has been excavated and has been particularly well studied. When an observer looks southwest along its axis the midwinter sun can be seen to set behind a notch on the skyline directly over the axial stone. However, no other axial circles have a comparable characteristic and statistical analysis over the circles as a whole show their alignments do not point accurately to any significant rising or setting positions of sun, moon or major stars.
There are 56 multiple-stone circles and 56 five-stone circles in counties Cork and Kerry combined. The locations can be displayed dynamically via the OpenStreetMap viewer (there is an additional multiple-stone circle in County Clare). Ireland's National Monuments Service, part of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, operates a database that includes archaeology sites. List of axial multiple-stone circles lists the sites classified as "stone circle – multiple-stone" and likewise List of axial five-stone circles for "stone circle – five-stone".
Somerville (1909) first reported that the axis of Drombeg stone circle aligned with the setting of the sun at midwinter over the axial stone. He noted this stone had been deliberately laid in an orientation along its long edge and it had not merely fallen like this. He called the structure a recumbent stone circle because of a perceived similarity with stone circles in northeast Scotland which by that time had been carefully surveyed by Frederick Coles. The similarities are that the recumbent stone lies lengthways along the southwest circumference of the circle and there are two orthostats (upright stones) taller than the rest. In Scotland the recumbent stone is a massive block and the two tallest stones, "flankers", stand at each end of it. In Ireland, however, the recumbent stone is a somewhat thin slab, quite modest in size, and Ó Nualláin regarded it as lying "upright". In Ireland the tall orthostats lie opposite to the recumbent stone and not beside it, so, seeking a name to differentiate the Irish stone circles, Ó Nualláin called them "Cork–Kerry stone circles" and the stone to the southwest he called the "axial stone".
Ó Nualláin studied 88 circles with axial stones and recognised two different types according to the number of stones in the ring. Forty-three circles had five stones ("five-stone circles") and forty-five had seven or more stones ("multiple-stone circles"). The latter have up to nineteen stones but they mostly have nine, eleven or thirteen. Those with multiple stones bear a greater similarity to the recumbent stone circles of Scotland.
Axial (or Cork–Kerry) stone circles were constructed in the middle to late Bronze Age (1500 BC - 800 BC) with the multiple-stone circles coming in the earlier part of this period. To give some context, copper mining started in Kerry as early as 2400 BC – portal tombs and wedge tombs were even earlier.
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