The Callanish Stones are found in Callanish, along the west coast of the Lewis Isle in Scotland, along the Outer Hebrides.
The henge structure is a large collection of gneiss stone rows that from a circle around the area, that measures 13m in total diameter. From an Ariel view the stones appear to be laid out in similar design to the Celtic cross, with 13 stones compiling the entire structure, that range in heights from one to five meters.
It is suspected that the Callanish Stones were erected sometime between 2600 BC and 2900 BC, although it is possible that some of the buildings located in the area may have been built as early as 3000 BC. There is some debris leftover from where the tomb was deconstructed, that suggests the Callanish Stones were not used after the time period of 1700 BC to 2000 BC.
The Callanish Stones were first referenced in 1680 by John Morisone, a native of the area who wrote that the purpose of the stones was for devotion.
The tallest area of stones is located at the beginning of a burial tomb, in which human remains were discovered during excavation in the eighties. The excavation team found that the tomb was a later addition to the Callanish Stones, and that over time the burial chamber had been modified a few times.
Although there are several theories as to why the stones were constructed, one popular theory by professor Alexander Thon, suggests that the stones were built based on the alignment of the sun with the earth.
Other less scientific theories include local folklore that the site was once occupied by giants who would listen to the Christians and convert, thus forcing them to be turned into stone. Other stories include one that during sunrise, an individual walks through the stone pathway followed by the sound of a cuckoo.
Due to the fact that there are about a hundred other sites that consist of a stone setting or simply one stone in close proximity to others. Many archaeologists call the main monument with the most stones Callanish I, with the additional megalithic sites labelled with ascending prefixes, although most people will refer to the area simply as the Callanish Stones.
The Callanish Stones have also been paid tribute in the pop culture, as new-romantic band Ultravox placed a picture of the stones on the front of their album cover for Lament in 1984, and filmed their video for the first single from the album on location at the site.
