ii) Dimensions of individual stones in metres: height=from 1m to 4.5m / width=from 0.60m to 2.85m / breadth=from 0.20m to 1.45m. See also IV)

DESCRIPTION of monuments

ILLUSTRATION of monuments

TABLE of monuments surveyed

These monoliths or megaliths represent a group of monuments which, to date, has eluded all efforts to discover their purpose and the precise period during which they were erected. They are, thus, a subject of continuous interest to researchers. A very interesting anthropological rather than archaeological interpreation is that: "In the crudest of civilizations raising a stone to the upright is saying 'We were here' (Welsh Artists Talking by Tony Curtis, 2000, p.230)". Studies in this category, covering large areas, are relatively rare; one example is G.Williams (1988) 'The Standing Stones of Wales and South West England' in "BAR British Series 197", the other see Roese, 1980. However, there are a number of publications purporting theories about the meaning of standing stones. Many base their theories on the menhirs of Wales. The survey, which is the subject of this web page, certainly confirms that standing stones and alignments, unlike some of the other monuments mentioned, occur right across Wales. Their distribution shows a slightly denser pattern in the coastal regions of West Wales, but it does not appear to be significant enough to distract from the overall inland distribution of the extant examples of this type of monument. More research will be necessary before conclusive light can be shed on them, especially as some historical records of lost sites suggest that the surviving sample is partial. Even the definition of what actually constitutes a standing stone is still shrouded in uncertainty, and the suggestion has been mooted that they might have been erected in the Middle Ages rather than in pre-history.

Clo Cadno Alignment, Breconshire SO 119167

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