Croft Moraig Stone Circle, Aberfeldy, Perth & Kinross, Scotland.
A journey through Scotland's ancient sites
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INTRO
CROFT MORAIG IS THE FLAGSHIP PREHISTORIC SITE IN PERTH & KINROSS. THIS CONCENTRIC STONE CIRCLE IS LOCATED NE OF LOCH TAY. IT SITS BETWEEN KENMORE & ABERFELDY ON THE A827 ROAD. THE RIVER TAY VALLEY AREA, CONTAINS NUMEROUS NEOLITHIC REMAINS. THIS ANCIENT TEMPLE IS IN THE CARE OF HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND.
OVERVIEW
CROFT MORAIG GIVES THE IMPRESSION OF AN ERRATIC ARRANGEMENT OF GREY SCHIST BOULDERS. EXCAVATION & AN ARIEL VIEW, START TO REVEAL A MULTI- PHASE, CONCENTRIC STONE CIRCLE THAT WAS SCATTERED WITH QUARTZ IN THE INTERIOR.
THE STONES WERE PRE-DATED BY A TIMBER SETTING. OUR ANCESTORS FROM DEEP ANTIQUITY, CAREFULLY POSITIONED THIS CIRCLE. THEY CONTINUED TO USE & RE-USE THIS SPECIAL LOCATION OVER A THOUSAND YEARS.
PHASE 1
CIRCA 5000 YEARS AGO, THE FIRST OF 3 PHASES WAS CONSTRUCTED. A HORSE SHOE TIMBER SETTING OF 14 POSTS 2M HIGH WERE ERECTED, IN A 7.5M DIAMETER. THIS WAS THE FIRST CEREMONIAL TEMPLE SPACE, OUR ANCESTORS USED.
THIS HORSE SHOE STRUCTURE WAS OPEN AT THE SW. THIS MAY INDICATE A WINTER SOLSTICE SUNSET FUNCTION OR THE SOUTHERN MAJOR MOONSET, WHEN VIEWED FROM THE CENTRE. AT STONEHENGE THE INNER MOST SETTING OF BLUESTONES IS ALSO A HORSE SHOE ARRANGEMENT.
A 6 TIMBER SETTING OF 2 ROWS OF 3 POSTS, LIES JUST OUTSIDE THE TIMBER ARC BY 1M. THIS SETTING LOOKS LIKE AN ENTRANCE WHICH IS ORIENTATED JUST S OF E.
PHASE 2
IN THE 2ND PHASE THE WOOD SETTING HAD BEEN REPLACED BY STONE. AGAIN LIKE PHASE 1 WE HAVE A HORSE-SHOE ARC. ELEVEN STONES MAKE UP THIS PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION, MEASURING 8M X 7M. 2 OF THESE MEGALITHS LIE PROSTATE. POTTERY SHERDS FROM THIS ERA WERE DATED TO 4000 YEARS AGO.
THE STONES SEEM TO BE GRADED IN HEIGHT, THE HIGEST IN THE SE ARC IS NEARLY 1.5M. THE SMALLEST IS JUST UNDER 1M. A NE POSITIONED MEGALITH IS CUP-MARKED, THIS MAY INDICATE A MID SUMMER SOLSTICE SUNRISE ALIGNMENT.
A FURTHER 3 STONES LIE JUST OUTSIDE THE SETTING ON THE SE TO SW ARC. THE SW MEGALITH HAS FALLEN. PERHAPS THESE 3 OUTLINER STONES WERE AN ENTRANCE INTO SACRED SPACE OR A MIDWINTER SUNRISE TO MIDWINTER SUNSET ALIGNMENT.
PHASE 3
THE 3RD AND FINAL CONSTRUCTION PAHSE CONSISTS OF AN OUTER CIRCLE OF 11 EVENLY SPACED STONES. AT 12M IN DIAMETER, THIS LAST PHASE ENCLOSES THE SHORTER PHASE 2 STONES. 7 MEGALITHS REMAIN UPRITE IN THE N TO SE ARC. ALL OTHER STONES IN THE S TO W SECTION HAVE FALLEN.
TWO 2.2M HIGH STONES, 5M OUTSIDE THE OUTER CIRCLE & BANK, SEEM TO BE A RE-ERECTION OF THE PHASE 1 TIMBER ENTRANCE. THE STONES ARE IN THE SAME ORIENTATION AS THE 6 POST TIMBER BUILD. JUST OUTSIDE THESE STONES, GRAVES WERE EXCAVATED. THE NORTHERN MOST STONE MAY BE AN EQUINOX MARKER.
CUP MARK BOULDER
A SSW ORIENTATED, 2M LONG, CUP MARKED STONE LIES ON THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE OUTER BANK SETTING. VARIOUS NUMBERS OF CUP MARKS HAVE BEEN RECORDED. AUBREY BURL COUNTED 23 CUPS.
IN 1910 FRED COLES RECORDED 19 CUP MARKS. THIS IS INTERESTING AS IT MAY BE LINKED WITH THE 18.61 YEAR CYCLE OF THE SOUTHERN EXTREME MAJOR LUNAR STANDSTILL. THE ORIENTATION ALSO SUGGESTS WINTER SOLSTICE SUNSET. TWO OF THE CUPS SEEM TO BE RINGED
STONE BANK
THE 17M DIAMETER STONE BANK ENCLOSES ALL THE MONUMENT EXCEPT THE PHASE 3 PAIR OF OUTLINER STONES. THE N & SW ARC HAS NO REMAINING STONE BANK.
OTHER INFO
CROFT MORAIG SHARES FEATURES WITH OTHER SITES AROUND SCOTLAND. LIKE CAIRNPAPPLE, BALFARG HENGE & THE MACHRIE MOOR STONE CIRCLES ON THE ISLE OF ARRAN.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS DEREK SIMPSON & STUART PIGGOT EXCAVATED CROFT MORAIG IN 1965. A MORE RECENT EXCAVATION WAS CARRIED OUT IN 2012. THE FAMOUS SCOTTISH POET ROBERT BURNS ALSO VISITED CROFT MORAIG.
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