Ian Mulvany

June 27, 2023

In our time - megaliths.



Episode link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001jkzg My rating: B-

This episode was about megaliths. Overall we know very little about the people’s who built these, and that comes across in the episode. The episode was not terrible, but not great either.

I learnt the following:

  • there are a lot more megaliths around than I had appreciated.
  • Stone circles seem to have started in the hebridies, and the practice of making them migrated south.
I asked ChatGPT for timeline data on sone stone circles to see if I could eyeball that claim, but I was not able to, this is what gpt gave me:

This episode did lead me to find this amazing website where you can search all megaliths in Ireland : https://megalithicirelandmap.github.io/#map=7/53.79416/-7.91016

Here is one in the middle of a housing estate: http://megalithicireland.com/Ballybrack%20Dolmen.htm?src=gpx

Stone circle list with approximate dates and latitude/longitude coordinates for each stone circle:

Scotland:

  1. Callanish Stones - 2900 - 2600 BCE | 58.1992° N, 6.7453° W
  2. Stenness Stones - 3100 - 2500 BCE | 58.9959° N, 3.2084° W
  3. Machrie Moor Stone Circles - 2000 - 1800 BCE | 55.5945° N, 5.2433° W
  4. Croft Moraig - 3000 - 1500 BCE | 56.5709° N, 3.7856° W
  5. Temple Wood - 3000 - 1500 BCE | 55.4169° N, 5.3862° W
  6. Lundin Links Standing Stones - Unknown | 56.2044° N, 2.9525° W
  7. Nine Ladies Stone Circle - Bronze Age | 53.1932° N, 1.6474° W
  8. Clava Cairns - 2000 - 1500 BCE | 57.4757° N, 4.0577° W
  9. Ring of Brodgar - 2500 - 2000 BCE | 59.0012° N, 3.2265° W
  10. Broomend of Crichie - Bronze Age | 57.3262° N, 2.4729° W
  11. Drumtroddan Standing Stones - 3000 - 2000 BCE | 54.9025° N, 4.8286° W
  12. Stonehead of Gauldwell - Unknown | 56.1167° N, 3.8667° W
  13. Balbirnie Stone Circle - Bronze Age | 56.1806° N, 3.1875° W
  14. Torhousekie Stone Circle - 2000 - 1500 BCE | 54.8963° N, 4.6783° W
  15. Duddo Stones - Unknown | 55.6441° N, 2.2217° W
  16. Nether Largie Standing Stones - 3000 - 2000 BCE | 55.4322° N, 5.6363° W
  17. Achmore Stone Circle - Unknown | 57.6842° N, 5.6793° W
  18. Strichen Stone Circle - Unknown | 57.6127° N, 2.1737° W
  19. Loanhead of Daviot - 2500 - 2000 BCE | 57.2235° N, 2.3151° W
  20. Kenmore Stone Circle - 3000 - 1000 BCE | 56.5319° N, 4.0204° W
Ireland:

  1. Newgrange - 3200 - 2900 BCE | 53.6947° N, 6.4755° W
  2. Drombeg Stone Circle - 1100 - 800 BCE | 51.5504° N, 9.0767° W
  3. Beltany Stone Circle - 2000 - 1200 BCE | 54.8227° N, 7.4298° W
  4. Uragh Stone Circle - 2200 - 500 BCE | 51.8269° N, 9.6567° W
  5. Lough Gur Stone Circle - 3000 -1500 BCE | 52.5033° N, 8.5375° W
  6. Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery - 4600 - 3900 BCE | 54.2504° N, 8.6523° W
  7. Castleruddery Lower Stone Circle - Unknown | 52.9308° N, 6.3672° W
  8. Beaghmore Stone Circles - 2900 - 1200 BCE | 54.7391° N, 6.7378° W
  9. Poulnabrone Dolmen - 3800 - 3200 BCE | 53.0326° N, 9.1463° W
  10. Aughnacliffe Dolmen - Unknown | 53.8679° N, 7.5605° W
  11. Turoe Stone - 100 BCE - 100 CE | 53.1915° N, 8.5142° W
  12. Brownshill Dolmen - 3000 - 2500 BCE | 52.6906° N, 6.8670° W
  13. Gaulstown Dolmen - Unknown | 52.2907° N, 7.0305° W
  14. Derrykeighan Stone Circle - Unknown | 55.0683° N, 6.3577° W
  15. Knocknakilla Stone Circle - 2500 - 1500 BCE | 51.9877° N, 9.1043° W
  16. Grange Stone Circle - 2500 - 1500 BCE | 53.1493° N, 7.7409° W
  17. Killinaboy Stone Circle - Unknown | 52.9318° N, 9.0531° W
  18. Glantane East Stone Circle - Unknown | 51.9781° N, 8.7043° W
  19. Ballynoe Stone Circle - 2000 - 1400 BCE | 54.2508° N, 6.3398° W
  20. Drumskinny Stone Circle - Unknown | 54.6259° N, 7.3046° W
England:

  1. Stonehenge - 3000 - 2000 BCE | 51.1789° N, 1.8262° W
  2. Avebury Stone Circle - 2600 - 2400 BCE | 51.4286° N, 1.8540° W
  3. Rollright Stones - 2500 - 2000 BCE | 51.9896° N, 1.4805° W
  4. Castlerigg Stone Circle - 3200 - 2600 BCE | 54.6019° N, 3.0987° W
  5. Arbor Low - 2500 - 2100 BCE | 53.1985° N, 1.7619° W
  6. Nine Stones Close - 2500 - 1500 BCE | 53.2271° N, 1.8256° W
  7. Stanton Drew Stone Circles - 3000 - 2000 BCE | 51.3597° N, 2.5806° W
  8. The Hurlers - 1500 - 800 BCE | 50.5144° N, 4.4614° W
  9. Long Meg and Her Daughters - 1500 - 1400 BCE | 54.7485° N, 2.6784° W
  10. Swinside Stone Circle - 3000 - 2000 BCE | 54.5694° N, 3.2067° W
  11. King Arthur’s Round Table - Unknown | 54.3169° N, 2.7825° W
  12. Mayburgh Henge - 2200 - 2000 BCE | 54.6284° N, 2.6966° W
  13. Mitchell’s Fold - 2500 - 1600 BCE | 52.6041° N, 3.1125° W
  14. The Merry Maidens - 2500 - 1500 BCE | 50.0644° N, 5.5450° W
  15. Boscawen-Un - 2500 - 1500 BCE | 50.1029° N, 5.6112° W
  16. Rudston Monolith - 1600 - 1400 BCE | 54.1301° N, 0.3919° W
  17. Arbor Low II Stone Circle - 2500 - 2100 BCE | 53.1975° N, 1.7624° W
  18. Seahenge - 2049 - 1700 BCE | 52.9612° N, 0.4917° E
  19. Devils Arrows - 2500 - 2000 BCE | 54.1244° N, 1.5502° W
  20. Grey Wethers - 2000 - 1800 BCE | 51.2094° N, 1.9740° W
France:

  1. Carnac Stones - 4500 - 3300 BCE | 47.5881° N, 3.0702° W
  2. La Roche-aux-Fées - 4500 - 3000 BCE | 47.9225° N, 1.3145° W
  3. Locmariaquer megaliths - 4700 - 4000 BCE | 47.5922° N, 3.0703° W
  4. Alignements de Kerzerho - 3000 - 2500 BCE | 47.7316° N, 3.1593° W
  5. Gavrinis - 3500 BCE | 47.5867° N, 2.9208° W
  6. Alignements de Lagatjar - 3000 - 2500 BCE | 47.6769° N, 3.3043° W
  7. Alignements du Ménec - 4500 - 4000 BCE | 47.6107° N, 3.0652° W
  8. Er Lannic Stone Circle - Unknown | 47.5530° N, 2.9981° W
  9. Kermario Alignments - 4500 - 4000 BCE | 47.6064° N, 3.0835° W
  10. Alignements de Carnoët - 3500 - 3000 BCE | 48.3135° N, 3.3411° W
  11. Alignements de Petit-Mont - 3000 - 2500 BCE | 47.5864° N, 3.1295° W
  12. Barnenez Cairn - 4500 - 3900 BCE | 48.6795° N, 3.8407° W
  13. Cergy-Pontoise stones - Unknown | 49.0397° N, 2.0774° E
  14. Crucuno Dolmen - 3500 - 2500 BCE | 47.8179° N, 3.2351° W
  15. Dol-de-Bretagne Stone Circle - 2500 - 2000 BCE | 48.5473° N, 1.7505° W
  16. Le Grand Menhir Brisé - 4500 - 4000 BCE | 47.5582° N, 2.0005° W
  17. Menec Alignments - 4500 - 4000 BCE | 47.6142° N, 3.0717° W
  18. Monteneuf Megalithic Complex - 4000 - 3000 BCE | 47.9005° N, 2.1752° W
  19. Péré Stone Circle - 4500 - 4000 BCE | 46.0103° N, 0.7043° W
  20. Wéris Dolmens and Menhirs - 2500 - 1500 BCE | 50.3634° N, 5.4952° E


If you want to dig into in our time episodes more there is a fantastic site that allows you to explore the archive in all sorts of ways: https://genmon.github.io/braggoscope/.

Tags from OpenAI: Categories: History Archaeology, Megaliths,


About Ian Mulvany

Hi, I'm Ian - I work on academic publishing systems. You can find out more about me at mulvany.net. I'm always interested in engaging with folk on these topics, if you have made your way here don't hesitate to reach out if there is anything you want to share, discuss, or ask for help with!