The Wheebin Standing stone (or Stane O' Quoybune) is an ancient, tall
standing stone located in the parish of
Birsay
Birsay () (Old Norse: ''Birgisherað'') is a parish in the north west corner of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. Almost all the land in the parish is devoted to agriculture: chiefly grassland used to rear beef cattle. There are various ancient ...
, in the north west of the mainland of Orkney, Scotland. It was erected in the 2nd millennium BC.
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...
established the site as a scheduled monument in 1937.
Location
The stone is located in the parish of Birsay, southeast of the village of Birsay, on the mainland of Orkney in Scotland. The monolith stands in a field on private property next to the road and is from the western edge of the
Loch of Boardhouse.
Description
The stone is in height, approximately wide and narrows gradually to the top, with an average thickness of . The Wheebin stone slopes up slightly towards the north-northwest. It shows signs of severe weathering, with one deep crevice displayed from the middle of the stone to the top. The constant rubbing of domestic animals over the years have polished the surface of the lower half of the stone.
The stone had originally been brought from nearby higher ground and placed with its major axis north-northwest and south-southeast.
The stone dates to the
Late Neolithic
In the archaeology of Southwest Asia, the Late Neolithic, also known as the Ceramic Neolithic or Pottery Neolithic, is the final part of the Neolithic period, following on from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and preceding the Chalcolithic. It is some ...
or Early Bronze Age, around the 2nd millennium BC.
Similar standing stones such were typically put up in the later Neolithic period (around 2000 BC).
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...
established the site as a scheduled monument in 1937.
See also
*
Prehistoric Orkney
Prehistoric Orkney refers only to the prehistory of the Orkney archipelago of Scotland that begins with human occupation. (The islands’ history before human occupation is part of the geology of Scotland.) Although some records referring ...
*
Callanish Stones
The Callanish Stones (or "Callanish I": gd, Clachan Chalanais or ) are an arrangement of standing stones placed in a cruciform pattern with a central stone circle. They were erected in the late Neolithic era, and were a focus for ritual activi ...
*
Stone of Setter
References
{{Reflist
Buildings and structures completed in the 2nd millennium BC
Archaeological sites in Orkney
Prehistoric Orkney
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Orkney
Megalithic monuments in Scotland
Menhirs
Late Neolithic