Croft Moraig Stone Circle (also Croftmoraig) is a prehistoric
stone circle
A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The be ...
situated four miles southwest of
Aberfeldy, Scotland
Aberfeldy ( gd, Obar Pheallaidh) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, on the River Tay. A small market town, Aberfeldy is located in Highland Perthshire. It was mentioned by Robert Burns in the poem ''The Birks Of Aberfeldy''.
Etymology
A ...
(). It is a
scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
Location
The stone circle is situated by the side of the
A827 road
List of A roads in zone 8 in Great Britain starting north of the A8 and west of the A9 (roads beginning with 8).
Single- and double-digit roads
Triple-digit roads
Four-digit roads
See also
* B roads in Zone 8 of the Great Britain numbe ...
between
Aberfeldy and
Kenmore.
It stands to the northeast of
Loch Tay
Loch Tay ( gd, Loch Tatha) is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the Perth and Kinross and Stirling council areas. It is the largest body of fresh water in Perth and Kinross, and the sixth largest loch in Scotland. The ...
on low ground beneath steep mountainsides.
Description
The stone circle is a complex multi-phase site.
The stone circle shows many features typical to the area including a
recumbent stone, graded circle-stones, a south-southwest orientation, quartz pebbles and an outer stoney bank.
The stones are of dark grey
schist
Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes o ...
.
Excavations
The stone circle was excavated in 1965.
It was found to have three phases of construction, the first phase being fourteen timber posts arranged in a horseshoe pattern measuring 8 metres by 7 metres.
The mouth of the horseshoe had a post set just inside it, and in the centre of the horseshoe there was a boulder with some burnt bone near it.
In the second phase the timber posts were replaced by a horseshoe setting of 8 standing stones, about 8 metres by 6 metres.
This was surrounded by a stone bank around 17 metres in diameter.
On top of the bank, to the southwest was a two-metre stone with 23 cupmarks on it.
In the third phase a circle of 12 standing stones about 12 metres in diameter was erected around the horseshoe. There was an entrance in the southeast marked by two external stones with two adjacent graves.
Dating evidence was provided by some sherds of pottery from phase 2 of the site, dating to around 2000 BC.
See also
*
Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany
The stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany are a megalithic tradition of monuments consisting of standing stones arranged in rings. These were constructed from 3300 to 900 BCE in Britain, Ireland and Brittany. It has been estimated that ...
*
List of stone circles
A stone circle is a monument of stones arranged in a circle or ellipse. Such monuments have been constructed in many parts of the world throughout history for many different reasons. The best known tradition of stone circle construction occurred ac ...
References
External links
{{Commons category-inline, Croft Moraig Stone Circle
Archaeological sites in Perth and Kinross
Stone circles in Perth and Kinross
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Perth and Kinross