This is an incomplete photographic list of stone circles.
Australia
See also Aboriginal stone arrangement
Stone circles in Australia are sometimes revered as sacred sites by Australian Aboriginal people's. While often small, there are some large stones comparable to their European counterparts, particularly in Victoria. While some are small and not well attended, others are well-known, for instance the stone arrangements in Victoria at Carisbrook and Lake Bolac.[1]
Britain, Ireland the Channel Islands and Brittany (France)
Aubrey Burl's gazetteer lists 1,303 stone circles in Britain, Ireland and Brittany ( France). Most of these are found in Scotland, with 508 sites recorded. There are 343 on the island of Ireland;316 in England; 81 in Wales; 49 in Brittany (France); and 6 in the Channel Isles.[3]
Channel Islands
Aubrey Burl records six sites in the Channel Islands, four on Guernsey and two on Jersey. All six are Cist-in-Circle monuments, which are influenced by chambered tomb design. Their relationship with the stone circle tradition of Britain, Ireland and Brittany is unclear.[4]
Stanton Drew – One of three circles located near the village of Stanton Drew.
Withypool Stone Circle – Located on the Exmoor moorland, near the village of Withypool. Only the stones present on the two ends of the circle are visible.
Beaghmore – Located outside Cookstown. Seven circles, along with cairns and stone rows. One circle, known as the Dragon's Teeth, is filled with more than 800 small stones.
There are 187 stone circles in the Republic of Ireland. The vast majority of these are in County Cork, which has 103 circles. There are 20 circles in County Kerry and 11 in County Mayo.[5] There is also a large fully intact stone circle in Grange in County Limerick, near Lough Gur[6]Grange[7]
Cork
Ardgroom SW – Known locally as "Canfea", located southwest of the village of Ardgroom on the Beara peninsula.
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland records 49 stone circles in the region. Of these 49, 24 are listed as 'possible'; one is an 18th-century construction; and a number have been destroyed.[8]
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland records 20 stone circles in North Ayrshire, all on Arran.[9] Five of these are listed as 'possible'.[9] Aubrey Burrel's gazetteer records 19 stone circles on Arran.[5]
The Ōyu Stone Circles (大湯環状列石 Ōyu Kanjyō Resseki) is a late Jōmon period (approx. 2,000 – 1,500 BC) archaeological site in the city of Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The site consists of two large stone circles located on an artificially flattened plateau on the left bank of the Oyu River, a tributary of the Yoneshiro River in northeastern Akita Prefecture. The site was discovered in 1931, with detailed archaeological excavations taking place in 1946, and in 1951–1952.
The larger circle, named the “Manza” circle has a diameter of 46 meters, and is the largest stone circle found in Japan. A number of reconstructions of Jomon period dwellings have been built around the site. The slightly smaller circle, named the “Nonakado” circle, is 42 meters in diameter and is located around 90 meters away, separated from the “Manza” circle by Akita Prefectural Route 66. Each circle is made from rounded river stones brought from another river approximately 7 kilometers away. Each circle in concentric, with and inner and an outer ring separated by an open strip approximately 8 meters wide.[16] Each circle contains smaller clusters of stone, including standing stones surrounded by elongated stones in a radiating orientation, forming a sundial which points toward the sunset on the summer solstice and allows for calculation of the winter solstice, the vernal equinox and the sun's movements.[17]
Each circle is surrounded by the remains of buildings, storage pits and garbage dumps, and clay figurines, clayware and stoneware (including everyday pottery), stone swords and objects have been discovered. Although the form of the stone circles made have been based on the shape of circular settlements, there is no indication of permanent settlement on the site.
The site has been submitted for inscription on the
Jōmon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaidō, Northern Tōhoku, and other regions