County Guides No.19 - Oxfordshire : The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map:

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Submitted by baz on Thursday, 18 March 2004 Page Views: 4916

EnglandCountry: England County: Oxfordshire
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**Rollright Stones** submitted by baz : The Rollight Stones (or King`s Men) Stone Circle.(SP296309). The northern arc. There are said to be seventy-something stones remaining in a 100 feet diameter circle. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Oxfordshire is blessed with a wide variety of ancient monuments. To the south, on the edge of chalk downs, can be found the Uffington White Horse, the only British hill-figure to be verified as prehistoric. Nearby, along the Ridgeway, lies Waylands Smithy chambered long barrow, restored to its former glory. To the north, on the eastern limits of the Cotswolds, stand most of the counties standing stones, amongst round barrows and the remains of Cotswold-Severn type long barrows.

To the east, in the valley of the river Thames, many important sites have been destroyed by gravel extraction. These include a cursus, henges and many ring ditches.

There are just two known stone circles in the county. The King's Men form part of the Rollright Stones complex, where Oxfordshire's only dolmen, the Whispering Knights, can be found. The Devil's Quoits circle-henge, which has suffered greatly in the past (having had an airfield runway laid over it and later exploited for gravel extraction) is currently in the process of being restored and should be completed by the end of 2004.

The counties Iron Age hillforts tend not to have elaborate defences and many would probably be better described as enclosures.

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Ritual and Domestic Life in Prehistoric Europe, Bradley

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