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List of axial five-stone circles

List of axial five-stone circles is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of axial five-stone circles rather than just read about it. In short: An axial five-stone circle is a particular type of megalithic ring of five stones of which many are found in southwest Ireland. These circles have an approximate axis of symmetry aligned in a generally northeast–southwest direction – the stone at the southwest side of the circle, rather than being an upright orthostat like the rest, rests on the ground with its long axis horizontal.

List of axial five-stone circles — main illustration
List of axial five-stone circles — illustration

Key takeaways

  • List of axial five-stone circles belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect List of axial five-stone circles to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of List of axial five-stone circles from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An axial five-stone circle is a particular type of megalithic ring of five stones of which many are found in southwest Ireland. These circles have an approximate axis of symmetry aligned in a generally northeast–southwest direction – the stone at the southwest side of the circle, rather than being an upright orthostat like the rest, rests on the ground with its long axis horizontal. Because it marks the axis it is called the axial stone. It is usually quite thin and it lies with its long thin edge along the circumference of the ring. There are two types of axial stone circle, one type with five stones, listed here, and axial multiple-stone circles, with seven stones or more, listed at List of axial multiple-stone circles. Dating from the Bronze Age, these circles when constructed had an odd number of stones with two stones (portal stones) placed on either side of where the axis crosses the northeast side of the ring. They are found in County Cork and County Kerry. Early in the 20th century this type of circle was called a recumbent stone circle by analogy with similar examples in Scotland but when it became clear there were substantial differences the term "Cork–Kerry stone circle" was used for both types until later the term "axial stone circle" became commonly used.

Ó Nualláin (1984) has published a comprehensive catalogue of stone circles in the two counties and Burl followed with two books, Burl (1995) and Burl (2000), covering a much broader area but still including this type of circle. Ireland's National Monuments Service, part of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, operates a database of archaeology sites and the list in this article covers the sites classified as "stone circle – five-stone". The NMS definition is: Stone circle - five-stone

A distinctive form of stone circle found only in counties Cork and Kerry. It comprises a ring of five free-standing stones, symmetrically arranged so that one stone, the axial stone, is set directly opposite two stones, usually the tallest, marking the entrance to the circle. Characteristically, the stones reduce in height to the axial stone, which is set consistently in the south-western part of the circle. These circles are thought to have a ritual function and are dated to the Bronze Age (c. 2400-500 BC). Included are 56 sites in County Cork and three in County Kerry.

List of axial five-stone circles

The map shows the locations of the 56 sites in counties Cork and Kerry. All the locations can be displayed dynamically via the OpenStreetMap viewer.

See also List of recumbent stone circles

Notes

References

Citations

Works cited Burl, Aubrey (1995). A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-06331-8. Burl, Aubrey (2000). The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-08347-5. National Monuments Service. "Historical Environment Viewer". Archaeological Survey of Ireland. Ó Nualláin, Seán (1975). "The Stone Circle Complex of Cork and Kerry". Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 105: 83–131. JSTOR 25508668. Ó Nualláin, Seán (1984). "A Survey of Stone Circles in Cork and Kerry". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Section C: Archaeology, Celtic Studies, History, Linguistics, Literature. 84C: 1–77. JSTOR 25506112.

Further reading Ó Ríordáin, Seán P (1939). "Excavation of a stone circle and cairn at Kealkil, Co. Cork" (PDF). Journal of the Cork Historical & Archaeological Society. Series 2. 44 (159): 46–49. – excavation of Kealkill Lynch, Ann (1981). Man and Environment in South-west Ireland 4000B.C.-A.D.800. Vol. B85. British Archaeological Reports: British Series. pp. 65–69. ISBN 978-0860541127.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) – excavation of Cashelkeelty

Illustrations

List of axial five-stone circles: Uragh five-stone circle (the circle is in the centre, the large stone on the right is an associated monolith)
Uragh five-stone circle (the circle is in the centre, the large stone on the right is an associated monolith)
List of axial five-stone circles: OpenStreetMap display of sites in Cork and Kerry
OpenStreetMap display of sites in Cork and Kerry

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of axial five-stone circles

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of axial five-stone circles claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of axial five-stone circles before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of axial five-stone circles ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of axial five-stone circles

In research
List of axial five-stone circles appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses List of axial five-stone circles in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
List of axial five-stone circles is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Archaeological sites in County Cork, Archaeological sites in County Kerry, Bronze Age Ireland, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for List of axial five-stone circles outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study List of axial five-stone circles in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what List of axial five-stone circles means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain List of axial five-stone circles out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is List of axial five-stone circles in simple terms?

An axial five-stone circle is a particular type of megalithic ring of five stones of which many are found in southwest Ireland. These circles have an approximate axis of symmetry aligned in a generally northeast–southwest direction – the stone at the southwest side of the circle, rather than being…

Why does List of axial five-stone circles matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of axial five-stone circles?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of axial five-stone circles.

Tags

  • Archaeological sites in County Cork
  • Archaeological sites in County Kerry
  • Bronze Age Ireland
  • Lists of archaeological sites in Ireland
  • Stone circles in Ireland

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