Recent Research
Much of our knowledge and understanding of Castlerigg stone circle has been passed down to us by the work of 18th century antiquarians and 19th century amateurs. Considering that the stone circles of Cumbria in general are of such antiquity, being the earliest stone circles in the whole of Europe, it is surprising that so little work has been carried out here under modern conditions and that none of the stone circles of Cumbria have so far been scientifically dated.
Since the 1960s, the names Aubrey Burl and Alexander Thom have become synonymous with stone circles and both men have contributed significantly to the literature on this subject, whilst taking opposing sides regarding their purpose and significance. The works of Burl strongly support the idea that any geometry within the circle, or astronomical alignments, are either purely coincidental or symbolic in nature. Thom, on the other hand, is a proponent of the circle builders being adept astronomers and mathematicians and suggests that these skills can be seen in all stone circles, everywhere. While neither Burl’s nor Thom’s works deal with Castlerigg exclusively, they do attempt to place all the stone circles of Britain in context to each other and to explain their purpose.
English Heritage subjected the scheduled area and the field to its immediate west to a geophysical survey in 1985 in order to improve our understanding of the stone circle and to provide a better interpretation for visitors. A full report of the findings from 1985 has still to be published.
In 2004, Dr Margarita Díaz-Andreu, of the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, commissioned a survey of the stones at Castlerigg in response to claims that prehistoric rock art had been discovered there. A pioneering survey technique that used a laser to record three-dimensional images of the stones was employed. Unfortunately, only graffiti from more recent times was discovered and no trace of the alleged prehistoric carvings was found.
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“The great question that has never been answered and which I have not get been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is “What does a women want?””
—Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)