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Archaeology Notes

Event ID 1014890

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1014890

A collection of written and illustrative material concerning the Callanish stones dating from c1680 to the mid- to late 1970s was compiled by Margaret Ponting (now Curtis) and Gerald Ponting. It consists of five volumes of loose leaf A3 pages. Four volumes concern the main site Callanish l, 1979, and one volume about the minor sites Callanish ll, lll, lV, V, Vl, Vll, Vlll, lX, X, Xl, Xll, Phrionnsa, Xlll–XlX, May 1981.

The original entries contain descriptions, illustrations and photographs of the standing stones at site l at the time. The study compares original illustrations with modern photographs taken from the same positions. This has revealed breakages (on stones 12, 19, 23, 28, 49 and 51) and even located the missing stone under the peat (33A, the E most stone at site l) subsequently excavated and re-erected. There are comments on the accuracy of data in each entry and on whether entries are original or derived from other sources. There are tables analysing various aspects of data and information (stone numbering after Somerville). The original single five volume work was photocopied about 1980 and ten copies were distributed to interested parties. These copies were the best available at the time. Technology has improved greatly since the 1980s and in 2014 the work was transferred to a digital format, making the documentary

knowledge widely available. The original fieldwork in the 1970s was not submitted to DES. The original work will be deposited with RCAHMS.

MR Curtis

(Source: DES)

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