I've always been intrigued by the Standin' Stanes but unfortunately they throw up more questions than answers. They are believed to be around 4,000 years old. What is known is that they are red sandstone, the tallest is about 5 metres high and there was a fourth stone at one time. Questions include - how many stones were there originally, where did the stone come from, how was it moved and manoeuvred into position, and by whom? And of course the key question - why?
The same questions apply to many other stone megaliths around the country. Current thinking seems to be that they were a way of commemorating the dead (ancestors) and marking a special place. This particular site has a number of physical features that would have been special or useful in the New Stone Age and Bronze Age, including proximity to the sea, a fresh water supply in the shape of the Hatton Burn and the fact that this area is a flat 'raised beach', ideal for travel, settlement and farming.
The same questions apply to many other stone megaliths around the country. Current thinking seems to be that they were a way of commemorating the dead (ancestors) and marking a special place. This particular site has a number of physical features that would have been special or useful in the New Stone Age and Bronze Age, including proximity to the sea, a fresh water supply in the shape of the Hatton Burn and the fact that this area is a flat 'raised beach', ideal for travel, settlement and farming.
I like to imagine the tales these stones could tell if they could talk - about the events and changes they have witnessed, about the people who have scrutinised them, about the lives that have been lived in their shadow and of course the story of their origins. How much longer will they stand and what future events will they exist to 'see'? I think they are a great asset to the village and like that they are integrated into a busy golf course and are no longer hidden behind the railings that I remember from my childhood.
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