Historic Sites of Lewis: Callanish Standing Stones

It is a remote place with stunning scenery and rich history. Dotted across the island are sites that date back hundreds, even thousands of years. It’s a truly remarkable place where stones that have faced nature’s most brutal forces still stand to tell of stories past.

A broch is a circular tower constructed in the Iron Age. Drun Broch is one of Scotland’s best-preserved brochs, although its original purpose is not known. There are theories that it was used for defense at one point.

Little villages of crofters who maintain small farms can be found in many parts of the island. Being such a remote island, the cultural heritage and pride here is very strong. 

Part of the mystique of this beautiful island is that so much of its long history is a mystery. Large monuments scattered around the island are unmistakably bold, but give little detail about the people who erected them.

By far the most famous site on Lewis is the Callanish Stones. Most people are familiar with the iconic Stonehenge site in England, but this is not the oldest of its kind. The Callanish Stones are thought to have been constructed up to 500 years before Stonehenge. They are a mysterious marker of a people who lived here before any kind of modern technology was in use. The site is open to the public and free to visit year round.

The stones were erected more than 4000 years ago. Without any machines to hoist these massive boulders, archaeologists believe wooden frames, rolling devices and tremendous human strength were the only tools available to construct them.

The Neolithic Period was between 4000–2000 BC. It was the transition from hunter-gatherer to farming societies that marked the start of this period, which tended to encourage a more settled way of life as opposed to a nomadic one.

Historians and archaeologists have discovered that many of the large stone monuments that span across Europe were created during the Neolithic Period. The exact reason for why communities from this era created these monuments is still a mystery. 

The stones are made from Lewisian Gneiss, one of the oldest rocks in the British Isles. Lewisian Gneiss is metamorphic rock, meaning it was exposed to extreme heat and pressure while buried deep in the ground. 

There are 3 distinct collections of stones that together make the Callanish site. All 3 groups of stones are within a mile of each other. The most impressive site consists of a ring of 13 stones. 

Intersecting with the ring are a few stone rows, which together form a cross. The largest stone, also known as a monolith, is over 4 metres high and weighs around 5 tonnes. But their grandeur was hidden for centuries by the natural forces of Earth itself. 

Scientists believe the site was abandoned around 800 BC. They can determine this by deciphering the age of soil at the base of the stones. 

Over time, a thick layer of peat covered the site. Peat is created from decomposed vegetable matter compressed over long periods of time. It was once a common source of fuel, burned in people’s homes to provide heat. 

Sir James Matheson, a wealthy resident of Lewis, had the peat dug up around the stones in 1857. The peat was 5 feet deep! As the peat was removed, the massive size of the stones was revealed. 

In order to uncover some of the Callanish mysteries, archaeologists had to start digging. An excavation was conducted over 1980 and 1981 in an attempt to learn more about how the monument was built. Through careful archaeological study, we now know that the site was built and added to over a period spanning thousands of years! 

Farmers first cultivated the site in 3500 BC, working the land to make it clear and flat. Between 2900–2600 BC, the ring of stones was erected, including the largest centre stone.

In 2600 BC, a small burial chamber was placed in the centre of the stones. Four hundred years later, cremated bodies and pottery were placed inside. Sometime between 1500–1000 BC, farmers cleared out the burials and ploughed the area. 

Similar stone sites were clearly built to align with astronomical events, like the winter and summer solstice. People have speculated about the connection between the stones’ position with the moon in order for it to be used as a calendar. 

This abandoned house, sitting just adjacent to one of the Callanish sites, is not an uncommon sight in Lewis. The movement of people from place to place – be it due to economic, environmental, or political change – has long been part of the human story. With each phase, humans leave behind a trace of their story.

There is a huge range of things that people leave behind, some small, some large. Sometimes these are great monuments or buildings. Other times, these are as small as a cooking pot. 

The processes and techniques used by future historians will undoubtedly change now that technology has rendered so much of our daily activity and communication as digital. Now most photographs, legal documents and even currency are handled in digital form.