Callanish Site 10 - Neolithic
About
The Reconstruction
The Isle of Lewis has an extraordinarily rich pre-historic landscape, with monuments dating back more than 5,000 years to the Neolithic period. The area around Callanish appears to have been a particularly important Neolithic ritual centre, with a concentration of impressive standing stones. The most famous of these is a cross-shaped arrangement of stones now known as Callanish I.
The surrounding landscape contains the remains of several other megalithic structures, including the former stone circle now called Callanish X or Na Dromannan. The stones at Callanish X now lie on their sides but are thought to have once stood upright. These stones have now been scanned as part of the Calanais Virtual Reconstruction Project. Using 3D models of the stones and drone footage of the surrounding landscape the Open Virtual Worlds team and Smart History created a digital reconstruction of how the stones may have appeared when they were in their original locations.
The Calanais Virtual Reconstruction Project was a collaboration between Urras nan Tursachan (the trust which runs the Calanais Visitor Centre), the University of Bradford, and the University of St Andrews. The project was led by Dr Richard Bates from the University of St Andrews’ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and was funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Project Team
Authors:
Sarah Kennedy, Catherine-Anne Cassidy, Iain Oliver, Alan Miller
Specialist Advisors:
Richard Bates (University of St Andrews)