[Open access] This volume presents the result of three excavations and two field walking surveys in Aberdeenshire. They were intended to shed new light on the character, chronology and structural development of the distinctive recumbent stone circles which are such a feature of north-east Scotland. Although the monuments share certain elements with other traditions of prehistoric architecture, and, in particular, with the Clava Cairns of the inner Moray Firth, no excavations at these sites had been published since the 1930s and their wider contexts had not been investigated by field survey. The new project took advantage of techniques which had not been used before, including pollen analysis and soil micromorphology, in an attempt to interpret these monuments in their wider chronological and geographical contexts. In that respect this work was the sequel to an earlier investigation of the Clava Cairns.
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Chapter 5 is fascinating reading. I particularly liked the comparison of the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age symbolism and ideology, moving from fire, sun and wood into moon, stone and death. The similarities noted at these excavated sites may extend much further afield...
Interesting! I've only dipped into chap3 because at the moment I'm reading 'Riddles in Stone' by Richard Hayman. He also talks about this movement from sun/life to moon/death, perhaps drawing on Bradley, and I'm intrigued.
Another thing it started me thinking about was whether the recumbent stone circles were built one at a time by the same people trying to refine the same concept or by different people in competition to build the best one, if that makes sense!
That Riddles in Stone book sounds so interesting, bought a copy!
I hope you like it! For me it's giving a great overview of the various interpretations and I like how he suggests that everyone's perspective is shaped by their background. That's certainly true for me, I do find it hard not to think of recumbent stone circles as rave zones with the "altar" as dj booth haha