STANDING STONES. Large rude unhewn blocks of stone, artificially raised to an erect position at some remote period, have been found in almost every part of the world where man has fixed his habitation. We find them in Britain, in continental Eurtipe, iu Assyria, India, Persia, and even in Mexico. and they are generally' of such a size that their erection pre-supposes some degree of skill in the use of mechanical power. They arc especially abundant in the British isles, where they sometimes stand singly, and sometimes in more or less regular groups; and it was long the general opinion of archae ologists that they were connected with the Druidical worship of the Celtic races. The result of modern investigation has been to throw doubts on the Druidical theory, while no other explanantion has been given which is in all cases satisfactory. The erection of a large stone not easily shifted from its place is perhaps the earliest. mode which man's instinct would contrive of preserving the memory of an event or of a hero; and there can be no doubt that many of these monoliths mark the site of a grave or of a battle-field. Human skeletons, and bronze, and iron weapons, have been in numerous cases found underneath them. A traditional remembrance of this origin is preserved in the name of "cat stane" (from Celtic cath, battle). given to some of them in Scotland, and "bauta stein" (battle stone) in Norway. Another possible purpose is preserved in the Scottish mime of "hair stane," or boundary stone. by which they are occasionally known; not a few of them, whatever their origipal object, having been long used as landmarks, and being alluded to as such in very early charters. A third use of these monoliths is at least as old as the historical books of the Old Testament. Vt a rettd in Judges ix. 6, of Abimelech being made king "by the pillar which was in Shechem," arid in 2 Kings xi. 14, of Joash, when he was annointed king, standing "by a pillar as the manner was;" and a like usage prevailed in ancient Britain, where the king or chief was elected at the "Taoist stone" 'groin Dude, the heir-apparent the Celts), and there took a solemn oath to protect and had his people. A stone of this kind was the lia fail of Ireland, which was brought to Icolnkill for the corona tion'of Fergus Ere; and after being removed to Scone, became the coronation stone of Scotland, till conveyed away by Edward I. to Westminster, where it now forms part of the corrin4lon chair of the sovereigns of tire United Kingdom. In all these cases there is an idea of a religious sanction attached to the stone; and a peculiar degree of sacredness seems to have invested any contract entered into at one of those perforated stones which arc or were occasionally to be met with in England and Scotland. Such a stone, with au oval hole large enough to admit a man's head, till lately adjoined tile monolithic troop of Stennis in Orkney. It was known as the "stone of Odin," and
continued till the middle of last century to be the scene of the interchange of matri monial and other vows, he who broke the vow of Odin being accounted infamous. It is said to have been the popular belief that any one who had in childhood been passed through the opening would never die of palsy. The power of curing rheumatism was ascribed to a perforated stone at Madderty in Cornwall. Whileariany of the monoliths in Britain are undoubtedly of a very reruote.age, there are some indications that tire practice of erecting :hem continued for a time after the introduction of Christianity, and that they were used to subserve purposes connected with the new faith. A series of monoliths in the island at' Mull are traditionally said to have been guide-posts to pilgrims visiting lona, rind it has been suggested dial they point out the route which St. Columba must have pursued on his way to the residence of tire Pictish king, Brude Mae Meilochon.
Still more puzzling to arehmologists than the single monoliths are the large symmetri cal groups of thrlm, of which the most remarkable are Stennis in Orkney, Stonehenge and Avela•v in Wiltshire. and Came in Brittany; all which, till lately, existed comparatively entire, though they have all been in the memory of the present genera tion inure cr less despoiled for building purposes. The most imposing of these mono mots is Stonehenge (q.v.). At Stennis from 70 to F_O stones were grouped in two sepa rate circles, of 360 and 100 ft. diameter respectively, the largest stones being in the SIlial:er circle. At Avebury two double concentric circles were surrounded by an outer circle of 100 stories, the whole being by two long avenues of stones in double lines. In all these and other instanzes the circles were surrounded by a trench and mound. At Carnae the stones are placed not in circles but in straight lines, with is curved row at one end—an arrangement which has suggested the idea of is burial-phice on the sire of a great battle-field. All around Warne, as well as Stonehenge, Barrows and Cromlechs (q.v.) are to be found. While the popular notion of till these monuments is INA they were Druid temples. the circular form so frequent among them has also suggested that they may originally have been connected with son-worship, and it is not impossible that they may have been used in turn for the successive religious worship of different races. They seem also to have served the purpose of courts of justice, or battle-rings for the duel and judicial combat. See STONEUENGE.
Amami rkable description of monument, whose purpose is utterly unknown 16 us, is tire rocking-Rhine or /open-some (q.v.). For a notice of a class of standing stones of consider able interest, ornionented with a peculiar description of sculpture, and found largely in Se011and, see SCULPTURED STONES.