Timber circle

Timber circle

In archaeology, timber circles are circular arrangements of wooden posts interpreted as being either complexes of freestanding totem poles or as the supports for large circular buildings

British Isles

Timber circles in the British Isles date to the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. The posts themselves have long since disappeared and the sites are identified from the circles of postholes that they stood in. Aerial photography and geophysical survey have led to the discovery of increasing numbers of the features. Often a postpipe survives in the posthole fill aiding diagnosis.

They are usually more than 20m, and up to 60m, in diameter and the posts that constituted them were generally more than 0.5m wide. Technically, they always consist of at least two concentric circles or ovals of timbers although there are variations on the rule such as the monuments of Seahenge and Arminghall, both in East Anglia which are often described as being timber circles.

Wider gaps between the posts are thought to have served as entrance routes. The builders replaced the posts as they decomposed and in some cases stone circles were adopted instead during later phases.

They appear either alone or in the context of other monuments, namely henges, such as that at Woodhenge and henge enclosures such as those at Durrington Walls. The only excavated examples of timber circles that stood alone from other features are Seahenge in Norfolk and the early phases of The Sanctuary in Wiltshire.

They probably served ritual purposes. Animal bone and domestic waste found at many timber circle sites implies some form of temporary habitation and seasonal feasting. They were built on high ground and would have been very conspicuous. Isolated burials have been found at some sites but not enough to suggest a strong funerary purpose.

United States

At Cahokia, a series of large, sequentially constructed timber circles have been identified during excavation. These have also been interpreted to serve ritual purposes, probably having to do with the control of calendrical information.

External links

* [http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/mpp/mcd/sub/timc1.htm English Heritage Monument Class Description]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Circle (Montana) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Circle. 47° 25′ 01″ N 105° 35′ 19″ W …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Stone circle — This article is about the European Megalithic stone circles. See Stone circle (disambiguation) for other uses. Swinside stone circle, in the Lake District, England. A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle usually… …   Wikipedia

  • List of circle topics — This list of circle topics includes things related to the geometric shape, either abstractly, as in idealizations studied by geometers, or concretely in physical space. It does not include metaphors like inner circle or circular reasoning in… …   Wikipedia

  • Concentric stone circle — A concentric stone circle is a type of prehistoric ritual monument consisting of a circular or oval arrangement of two or more stone circles set within one another. They were in use from the late Neolithic to the end of the early Bronze Age and… …   Wikipedia

  • Drombeg stone circle — (also known as The Druid s Altar), is a Recumbent stone circle located 2.4 km (1.5 mi) east of Glandore, County Cork, Ireland.[1] (grid ref: 24672 35157, Latitude: 51.564553N Longitude …   Wikipedia

  • British timber trade — The British timber trade was importation of timber from the Baltic, and later North America, by the British. During the Middle Ages and Stuart period, Great Britain had large domestic supplies of timber, especially valuable were the famous… …   Wikipedia

  • Dark Circle — For the 1982 documentary, see Dark Circle (film). The Dark Circle is a fictional criminal organization in publications from DC Comics. Contents 1 Fictional history 1.1 Post Zero Hour 2 Other versions …   Wikipedia

  • Compass timber — Compass Com pass (k[u^]m pas), n. [F. compas, fr. LL. compassus circle, prop., a stepping together; com + passus pace, step. See {Pace}, {Pass}.] 1. A passing round; circuit; circuitous course. [1913 Webster] They fetched a compass of seven day s …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Moorehead Circle — was a triple woodhenge constructed about two millennia ago at the Fort Ancient Earthworks in the U.S. state of Ohio. The outer circle, discovered in 2005 by Jarrod Burks, is about 60 meters in diameter.[1] Robert Riordan, Professor of Archaeology …   Wikipedia

  • Big Timber (Montana) — La ville de Big Timber est le siège du comté de Sweet Grass, situé dans le Montana, aux États Unis. Les 56 villes sièges de comtés de l’État du Montana Anaconda · Baker …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”