Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle and Henge

The Ring of Brodgar stands within Orkney’s prehistoric monumental landscape, combining a large stone circle with a surrounding rock-cut ditch. Its exact construction date has not been scientifically established; comparison and interpretation suggest the main ring was built around 2600–2400 BC. Nearby burial mounds belong to a wider sequence of activity. The circle is thought to have contained sixty stones, although many no longer stand or survive intact. Creating the ditch and transporting and erecting the stones required considerable organisation, but the ceremonies performed there are unknown. The first known illustrated account dates from 1529, and the monument was legally protected in 1882. Later folklore described dancing giants turned to stone at sunrise. That tale records the ring’s place in local imagination, rather than its prehistoric origin. Brodgar remains important for both its surviving architecture and the questions surrounding its use. Period: Probably late Neolithic; main ring approximately 2600–2400 BC Grid reference: HY 2945 1335 Protection: Source: Historic Environment Scotland, https://www.trove.scot/place/1696 (Open Government Licence). Contains Historic Environment Scotland data licensed under the Open Government Licence; source compiler retained per record. Banner photo: "Ring of Brodgar, Orkney" by Stevekeiretsu, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.