Construction Long Meg and Her Daughters
long meg , daughters, photographed @ 19:37 on 14 may 2005
the monument 120yd (109m) x 100yd (93m) in diameter. long meg herself stands 80ft (25m) outside circle, 20 ft (6m) above farthest stone in circle, , tallest of 69 stones @ 12ft (c. 3.8m) high , weighing c.9 tons (tonnes). long meg monolith of local red sandstone, river eden or nearby lazonby hills, whereas circle stones of rhyolite , glacial erratics. 2 large blocks placed east , west , there 2 portal stones placed south-west. placement of long meg in alignment between centre of circle , point of midwinter sunset. south-west face of long meg has crystals in it, whereas face looking towards circle has spirals , other rock art inscribed on it.
the circle may have had bank running round of stones @ least, , centre may have been scraped out extent.
sir william dugdale reported there 2 barrows of cobble-stones, 9 or ten feet high in centre of circle. thought these later burials using cobbles surrounding area.
four of stones in circle appear non-local , formed of quartz crystal. seem have been deliberately selected , placed @ specific points in circle mark calendrical events (sunsets , solstices related 4 seasons, example). work standing outside circle @ stone directly opposite quartz stone concerned. 1 alignment, @ samhain / souls day, may involve long meg herself, portal stone , 1 of quartz stones.
the use of different coloured stones seems significant - red, white , blue/gray predominate (long meg herself being of red sandstone). there might red equinox stone on east side of long meg circle (as @ swinside , castlerigg), involved in autumn , vernal equinox sunrises , sunsets. long meg stones may involved not solar timings, lunar ones (most northerly/southerly moon rises , sets).
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