Шотландиядағы ежелі тас тұғырлары

Neolithic standing stones in the Scottish Outer Hebrides

The Callanish Stones (or "Callanish I": Clachan Chalanais or Tursachan Chalanais) are an arrangement of standing stones placed in a cruciform pattern with a central stone circle, located on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. They were erected in the late Neolithic era, and were a focus for ritual activity during the Bronze Age. They are near the village of Callanish (Gaelic: Calanais) on the west coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.

The Callanish Stones are situated on a low ridge above the waters of Loch Roag with the hills of Great Bernera as a backdrop. Numerous other ritual sites lie within a few kilometres. The most impressive – Callanish II and Callanish III – lie just over a kilometre southeast of the main Callanish Stones, and originally consisted of circles of stones at least eight in number. (see Callanish III, Callanish IV, Callanish VIII and Callanish X). Historic Environment Scotland states that the stones were erected roughly 5,000 years ago, pre dating Stonehenge.

The Callanish Stones are managed by Historic Environment Scotland. There is The Calanais Stones Visitor Centre operated by Urras Nan Tursachan (The Standing Stones Trust).

The Callanish Stones consist of a stone circle of thirteen stones with a monolith near the middle. Five rows of standing stones connect to this circle. Two long rows of stones running almost parallel to each other from the stone circle to the north northeast form a kind of avenue. In addition, there are shorter rows of stones to the west southwest, south and east northeast. The stones are all of the same rock type, namely the local Lewisian gneiss. Within the stone circle is a chambered tomb to the east of the central stone. There is geophysical evidence of a lightning strike at the centre of the structure dating from the time of construction.

The central monolith stands 0.8 metres west of the true centre of the stone circle. The stone is 4.8 metres high, 1.5 metres wide and 0.3 metres thick. The largest sides of the stone are almost perfectly oriented to the north and south. The largest stone is 3.5 metres high and stands on the western end of the row. The two rows are not exactly parallel to each other but fan out: at the north end the rows are 6.7 metres apart, while the distance between the rows is 6 metres at the south end. This was built later than the stone circle and is squashed in between the eastern stones and the central monolith. It has been reduced to ground level and the outline can barely be traced. The many pottery fragments found indicate that the tomb was used for several centuries. Between 1000 BC and 500 BC the stones were covered by a thick layer of turf. It is estimated that the place was abandoned around 800 BC. Only in 1857 was the overlying 1.5 metres of peat removed.

The first written reference to the stones was by Lewis native John Morisone, who around 1680 wrote that the stones were men "converted into stone by ane Inchanter" and set up in a ring "for devotione". Sometime around 1695 Martin Martin visited the site and was told by the local people that "it was a place appointed for worship in the time of heathenism, and that the chief druid or priest stood near the big stone in the centre, from whence he addressed himself to the people that surrounded him." In 1743, William Stukeley described the stone circle as a druid circle and the avenue like a serpent. In 1819, geologist John MacCulloch published the first accurate description. In 1857 peat to a depth of five feet (1.5 metres) was cleared away, under the orders of the proprietor of Lewis, James Matheson, revealing the chambered tomb and the true height of the stones. In 1885 the Callanish Stones were taken into state care.

According to one tradition, the Callanish Stones were petrified giants who would not convert to Christianity.

In 1974, the sculptor Gerald Laing created a work known as Callanish for Strathclyde University's campus in the centre of Glasgow. He planted 16 abstract steel girders in the ground, intended to relate to the configuration of the stones. The sculpture is popularly referred to as "Steelhenge". The stones feature as a setting in the 1974 novel Lookout Cartridge by American author Joseph McElroy. In 1984, the new romantic band Ultravox used an image of the stones on the cover of their album Lament. They filmed parts of their promo' video for the "One Small Day" single at the site (the 'performance' parts of the video were actually shot at the Callanish III site); it was the first single taken from that album. In 1988 Jon Mark released a CD, The Standing Stones of Callanish, intended to evoke Britain's Celtic legacy. Julian Cope's 1992 album Jehovahkill features the stones on its cover. The Waterboys' 1993 album Dream Harder contains a song called "Wonders of Lewis" which appears to reference the stones. The stones are featured in the plot and setting of Death of an Adept (1996), a novel by Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris. They are a central part of the cover art (by Joe Burleson) for the 1997 mass market paperback edition. The stones are also shown on the front cover of the 1996 CD Celtic Nights, by Enaid and Einalem, released by Northsound Music. The Dutch melodic death metal band, Callenish Circle, took their name from the stones, slightly changing the spelling. The 1998 book The Last Highlander by Claire Delacroix features the stones as a key location. The Pixar film Brave (2012) features several scenes set in and around the stones. Bank of Scotland debit cards feature an image of the stones, among other Scottish landmarks including the Falkirk Wheel. The Starz TV series, Outlander (2014), has used the stones as a model for a fictional stone circle near Culloden called Craigh na Dun. The series is based on a series of books by Diana Gabaldon. The stones are depicted in the show as having time travel abilities when touched.