Editing Outer Hebrides (section)

== Prehistory ==
[[File:Calanais Standing Stones 20090610 01.jpg|thumb|The [[Callanish Stones]]]]

The Hebrides were originally settled in the [[Mesolithic|Mesolithic era]] and have a diversity of important [[prehistory|prehistoric]] sites. {{lang|gd|[[Eilean Dòmhnuill]]}} in {{lang|gd|Loch Olabhat}} on [[North Uist]] was constructed around 3200–2800 BC and may be Scotland's earliest [[crannog]] (a type of artificial island).<ref>Armit (1998) p. 34</ref><ref>Crone, B.A. (1993) "Crannogs and chronologies" ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquarians of Scotland''. '''123''' pp.&nbsp;245–54</ref> The [[Callanish Stones]], dating from about 2900 BC, are the finest example of a [[stone circle]] in Scotland, the 13 primary [[monolith]]s of between one and five metres high creating a circle about {{convert|13|m|ft}} in diameter.<ref>Li (2005) p. 509</ref><ref>Murray (1973) p. 122</ref><ref>{{Canmore |desc=Lewis, Callanish, '{{lang|gd|tursachan|nocat=y}}' |num=4169 |access-date=8 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland]] |url=http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/newcanmore.details_gis?inumlink=4169 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806192501/http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/4169/details/lewis+callanish+tursachan/ |archive-date=6 August 2012 |title=Lewis, Callanish, '{{lang|gd|Tursachan|nocat=y}}' |access-date=21 April 2008}}</ref> {{lang|gd|[[Cladh Hallan]]}} on [[South Uist]], the only site in the UK where prehistoric [[mummy|mummies]] have been found, and the impressive ruins of [[Dun Carloway]] {{lang|gd|[[broch]]}} on Lewis both date from the [[Iron Age]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques/mummies_cladhhallan_01.shtml "Mummification in Bronze Age Britain"] BBC History. Retrieved 11 February 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/research/cladh-hallan "The Prehistoric Village at {{lang|gd|Cladh Hallan|nocat=y}}"]. University of Sheffield. Retrieved 21 February 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.archaeology.co.uk/the-timeline-of-britain/valtos-brochs-and-wheelhouses.htm "AD 200 — Valtos: brochs and wheelhouses"] archaeology.co.uk Retrieved 1 August 2009.</ref>