Stone circle

A stone circle is an ancient type of monument. There are about 1,000 remaining stone circles and 80 stone henges in Great Britain and Ireland.Oliphant, Margaret. 1992. The Atlas of the Ancient World. p. 81. Stonehenge is a famous example of a stone circle. 

Stone circle monuments are made of several standing stones that are arranged in a certain way (often in circles or ellipses). The number of stones can vary between four and 60. Often, burial sites are in or near the circle. 

Most likely stone circles were used for rituals. They might also have been used as calendars; some stone circles are arranged so that certain stones are lit on special dates, such as the summer solstice.

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