Prehistoric Sites in Europe
Discover some of the most memorable prehistoric sites in Europe with Guide Lecturer Peter Yeoman. Learn from our expert about the wonders of the Calanais stone circle on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Let him unravel the mystery around the Neolithic man-in-the-moon, Sleeping Beauty and the False Men. Experience it all for yourself on our Highlights of the Hebrides tour.
Visiting Calanais provides one of the most memorable experiences of any prehistoric site in Europe. Our Andante groups are always struck by the sublime landscape setting and the sheer drama of the place, often seen in dramatic weather and lighting conditions. We approach from the ‘right’ side – not the usual tourist path, but by the processional avenue lined and enclosed by 19 standing stones drawing you ever-closer to the great 5-metre-tall monolith at the heart of the circle of 12.
Although eternally enigmatic, in our visit we can explore current research which is demystifying Calanais, its development, and how it performed a central role in the lives of dispersed Neolithic communities in the Western Isles of Scotland 5000 years ago. In addition, we visit a range of spectacular sites across Lewis and Harris.
In my visits for decades, I was always troubled by a simple contradiction of the lay-out: the avenue and circle is firmly blocked to the south by a rocky knoll known in Gaelic as Cnoc an Tursa – Hill of Sorrow. It is widely accepted that these Neolithic folk created stone circles as places where they could explore aspects of the movement of celestial objects, as a part of their cosmology. To enable this at Calanais, surely, they would require a full 360-degree sweep within the landscape? Now current research has provided a lightbulb moment – the hill doesn’t block anything, but rather the entire site is there because of this ancient sacred feature, focused on it including our approach up the avenue.
But how does Sleeping Beauty fit in? This refers to a series of hills to the south-east which create the profile of a woman in repose. And something totally extraordinary happens here in the lunar cycle: the full moon passes over this Earth Mother’s breast, then the moon passes through the Calanais stones. Never revealing more than half of its orb in the narrow gaps, the moon is captured in an artificial frame of megaliths, and the grey pillars are bathed in a golden glow. Like a searchlight beam, the moonlight stretches down the avenue to bathe an awestruck congregation in its light.
Meanwhile, anyone standing on Cnoc an Tursa would be dramatically silhouetted: the man-in-the -moon! They might seem to possess the power of this moon-god, strengthening their power over the assembly.
And what about the False Men – well, in the 1700s this was the local name given to the Calanais stones, in the belief that these were men punished for drinking and dancing on the Sabbath, and so petrified for all time!
