Early insights into Callanish Site XI
I was an active amateur archaeologist on the Isle of Lewis between 1975 and 1984, working with Margaret Curtis, who was then my wife. She remained on the island when I relocated to my native Hampshire.
Our studies mainly focused on the Standing Stones of Callanish (Calanais in Gaelic) and the many other megalithic sites in the surrounding countryside. The extensive professional excavation at Callanish in 1980-1981 was at least partly stimulated by our studies, and resulted in a lost stone being re-erected. We also discovered and published a previously unknown fallen circle at Achmore.
Thus I was very interested to read of the work of the Calanais Virtual Reconstruction Project as reported in your article, ‘New discoveries in the Neolithic landscape of the Callanish Stones’ (CA 360), in particular the discoveries at Site XI.
