93:, Scotland. Meaning "field of the stones", 36 of the original 54 remain today, mostly on the western side of the structure. The arrangement of these stones is extremely rare as the slabs are pointing towards the centre of the circle, rather than the typical side-by-side arrangement. The angle of the stones themselves is also strange. In most British stone circles, stones face the center with flat sides, but Achavanich's stones face the row at 90 degree angles. The stone circle remains open like a letter U, and evidence suggests it never was closed. The largest of the 36 remaining stones stands at only 2 meters, with an overall average of 1.5 meters tall. Although the site stood for several decades neglected and overgrown within a fenced off area which visitors were requested not to enter, access has recently been vastly improved with the clearance of the site, the repositioning of fence boundaries and the installation of information boards.
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At most stone circles the flat faces of the stones follow the line of the setting, but at
Achavanich the flat faces are 'side on'. The stone slabs appear to be set into a low mound of earth and stone, possibly the result of leveling the central area. The purpose and date of this structure are
105:, Scotland. The tallest of its relatively small stones is 2 m (6 ft 6 in) high. Some stones may have been taller, but weathering has caused them to crack and split. Only 36 stones remain in the setting, although there may have been about 54 originally.
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that litter the area. The structure was built of rock from the
Caithness flagstone group. The purpose of this stone circle is still unknown, but discovered bones may suggest that the structure served as a ritual site.
131:, 23 km away, where 9 stones of a 32 stone setting survive, with the open end of the setting in Broubster at the south-south-west. The open end at Achavanich is at the south-east.
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burials) protruding through the turf. Close to the southeast there are also the remains of a
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Canmore
Database of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
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Achavanich Stone
Setting Achavanich Stone Setting from the nearby Achkinloch Chambered Cairn
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Achavanich is estimated to be around 4000 years old, still young compared to 5000 year old
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Outside the northeast corner of the setting are some small slabs (possibly the remains of
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http://www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Highlands/Caithness/achavanich.htm
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170:"Reconstructing 'Ava': Achavanich Beaker Burial Project"
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unknown, but it is usually assumed to belong to the
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198:. Caithness Archaeology Trust. Archived from
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234:"Achavanich Circle damaged by lay-by"
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285:58.3566111°N 3.3896333°W
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151:(Registration required)
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111:Bronze Age
97:Background
87:megalithic
25:Achavanich
129:Broubster
103:Caithness
91:Caithness
303:Category
174:Archived
180:24 June
156:Notes
70:ak-ə-
245:2006
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182:2020
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