Editing Ring of Brodgar (section)

==General information==
[[File:Bren gun carriers of the 9th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders pass between the prehistoric standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney, 18 June 1941. H10589.jpg|thumb|Bren gun carriers of the 9th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders pass between the prehistoric standing stones 18 June 1941]]

The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar, or Ring o' Brodgar) is a Neolithic [[henge]] and [[stone circle]] in Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It is the only major henge and stone circle in Britain which is an almost perfect circle. Most henges do not contain stone circles; Brodgar is a striking exception, ranking with [[Avebury]] and  [[Stonehenge]] among the greatest of such sites.<ref>Ritchie 1985, p. 119</ref> The ring of stones stands on a small [[isthmus]] between the [[Loch of Stenness|Lochs of Stenness]] and [[Harray]]. These are the northernmost examples of circle henges in Britain.<ref>Hawkes 1986, p. 261</ref> Unlike similar structures such as Avebury, there are no obvious stones inside the circle,<ref>Hadingham, 1975, pp.55–56</ref> but since the interior of the circle has never been excavated by [[Archaeology|archaeologists]], the possibility remains that wooden structures, for example, may have been present. The site has resisted attempts at scientific dating and the monument's age remains uncertain. It is generally thought to have been erected between 2500 BCE and 2000 BCE, and was, therefore, the last of the great Neolithic monuments built on the Ness.<ref name="orkneyjar">{{cite web|url=http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/brodgar/|title=The Ring of Brodgar, Stenness, Orkney|website=www.orkneyjar.com|access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref> A project called The Ring of Brodgar Excavation 2008 was undertaken in the summer of that year in an attempt to settle the age issue and help answer other questions about a site that remains relatively poorly understood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/ringofbrodgar/background.htm|title=Orkneyjar Archeology News - The Ring of Brodgar Excavation 2008|website=www.orkneyjar.com}}</ref> The results of the excavation are still preliminary.

The stone circle is {{convert|104|m|ft}} in diameter, and the third largest in the British Isles.<ref name="orkneyjar" /> The ring originally had up to 60 stones, of which only 27 remained standing at the end of the 20th century. The tallest stones stand at the south and west of the ring, including the "Comet Stone" to the south-east.<ref name="Monuments"/>{{rp|42}} The stones are set within a circular ditch up to {{convert|3|m|ft}} deep, {{convert|9|m|ft}} wide and {{convert|380|m|ft}} in circumference that was carved out of the solid sandstone bedrock by the ancient residents.<ref>Hawkes 1986, p. 262</ref> Technically, this ditch does not constitute a true henge as there is no sign of an encircling bank of earth and rock. Many archaeologists continue to refer to this structure as a henge; for example, [[Aubrey Burl]] classifies the ditch as a Class II henge; one that has two opposing entrances, in this case on the north-west and south-east.<ref>Burl 1976, p. 101</ref>

The ditch appears to have been created in sections, possibly by workforces from different parts of Orkney. The stones may have been a later addition, maybe erected over a long period of time.<ref name="Monuments"/>{{rp|42}}

Examination of the immediate environs reveals a concentration of ancient sites, making a significant [[ritual landscape]]. Within {{convert|2|mi2|km2}} there are the two circle-henges, four chambered tombs, groups of standing stones, single stones, barrows, cairns, and mounds.<ref>Laing 1974, p. 84</ref> The immediate area has also yielded a number of flint arrowheads and broken stone mace-heads that seem to date from the [[Bronze Age]].<ref>Childe 1952, p. 35</ref> Although its exact purpose is not known, the proximity to the [[Ness of Brodgar]] site and the [[Standing Stones of Stenness]] and its [[Maeshowe]] tomb beyond make the Ring of Brodgar a site of major importance.

{{wide image|RingofBrodgar.jpg|1000px|align-cap=center|The Ring of Brodgar}}

The first formal survey of the Ring of Brodgar and surrounding antiquities was performed in 1849 by [[Royal Navy]] [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]] [[F. W. L. Thomas|F.W.L. Thomas]] of HM [[Cutter (boat)|cutter]] ''Woodlark''.<ref>Hedges 1984, p. 22</ref> Captain Thomas was in the area drawing up [[Admiralty Chart]]s in 1848–49, and he and his crew performed archaeological surveys as well resulting in the publication in 1852 of ''The Celtic Antiquities of Orkney''.<ref>[[F. W. L. Thomas|Thomas, F. W. L.]] (1852) [http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/ARCHway/toc.cfm?rcn=150&vol=34 "Account of some of the Celtic antiquities of Orkney, including the Stones of Stenness, Tumuli, Picts-houses, etc. with plans"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624055013/http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/ARCHway/toc.cfm?rcn=150&vol=34 |date=2009-06-24 }} Archaeologia '''34'''. pp. 88–136. Retrieved 31 August 2008.</ref>

===Excavations of Neolithic ruins===
[[File:Neolithic settlement at Brodgar (geograph 4125928).jpg|thumb|Neolithic settlement at Brodgar, (August 2014)]]
Ongoing excavations by [[Orkney College]] at the nearby [[Ness of Brodgar]] site located roughly midway between the Ring and the Stones of Stenness have uncovered several buildings, both ritual and domestic. Geophysics suggest there are likely to be more in the vicinity. Pottery, bones, stone tools and a polished stone mace head have also been discovered. Perhaps the most important find is the remains of a large stone wall which may have been {{convert|100|m|ft}} long and up to {{convert|6|m|ft}} wide. It appears to traverse the entire peninsula the site is on and may have been a symbolic barrier between the ritual landscape of the Ring and the mundane world around it.<ref>Ross, John (14 August 2007) "Experts uncover Orkney's new Skara Brae and the great wall that separated living from dead". Edinburgh. ''The Scotsman''.</ref>