Ring of Brodgar

The Ring of Brodgar is a Neolithic henge and stone circle in Mainland, the largest island in Orkney. The ring of stones stands on a small isthmus between the Lochs of Stenness and Harray. It is thought to have been erected between 2500 BCE and 2000 BCE.

With a diameter of 104 metres, it is larger than Stonehenge. Of the original 60 or so stones, 27 still remain.

The stones are set within a circular ditch up to 3 metres deep, 9 metres wide and 380 metres in circumference that was carved out of the solid sandstone bedrock by the ancient residents. The ditch appears to have been created in sections, possibly by workforces from different parts of Orkney. The stones may have been a later addition, maybe erected over a long period of time..