INTRODUCTION. xxiii 



brought to light; and that these fragments were cont lined 

 in a black unctuous substance, which expert opinion con- 

 sidered to be a combination of peaty and animal matter. 

 These are all the positive facts that are known about this 

 remarkable structure the most remarkable, perhaps, of 

 its kind in Scotland and Archaeology has nothing further 

 to say except to draw conclusions which may not be 

 universally accepted. The discoveries which have been 

 made clearly show, however, that the Callernish circle 

 was a grave enclosure, and it is more than probable that 

 the opinion of archaeologists is correct, in assigning to 

 this and similar circles a sepulchral origin. The Gaelic 

 name Tursachan (the place of sadness or sorrow) of the 

 remains near Loch Bernera appears to offer corroborative 

 evidence of this view. 



Modern antiquaries argue that the Callernish stones 

 belong either to the Stone or the Bronze Age. Dr. Joseph 

 Anderson in his Pagan Scotland, affirms that the circle 

 is in Scotland the most characteristic mark of a Bronze 

 Age funeral, and that in the case of the Callernish stones, 

 the idea of the cairn has given way to the idea of the 

 circle. On the other hand, the chambered grave with the 

 passage leading to the outside is certainly characteristic 

 of the Stone Age, to which period have been unhesitatingly 

 assigned the "giants' chambers" or passage-graves of 

 Denmark, Sweden and Ireland. These graves are some- 

 times termed semi-cruciform, and it is conceivable that 

 the peculiar shape of the Callernish structure may be an 

 exaggerated representation of this idea; the form of the 

 grave bears a certain analogy to the form of the stone- 

 setting. Or, it may be that the cruciform shape is 

 accidental.* It is generally agreed that it cannot possibly 

 be a symbol of the Christian religion. 



It appears to be well-authenticated that the custom 

 prevailed among early nations of raising around the 

 graves of noted warriors, a specific number of stones, 



* The author gathers, from a conversation with Dr. Anderson, that he holds 

 this view. 



B 2 



