Senegambian stone circles: 1,000+ laterite monuments spanning 350km along River Gambia. 7-ton pillars in circles of 8-14 stones near burial mounds. UNESCO World Heritage, 3rd-16th century AD. Ancient funerary architecture
Senegambian stone circles: over 1,000 laterite monuments spanning 350 km along River Gambia
Republic of The GambiaArchaeoastronomy
Key facts
- The Senegambian stone circles comprise over 1,000 monuments in a band 100 km wide and 350 km along the River Gambia
- They cover approximately 15,000 square miles between Senegal and Gambia rivers
- The four main groups are Sine Ngayene and Wanar (Senegal), and Wassu and Ker Batch (Gambia)
- 93 stone circles contain numerous tumuli (burial mounds) with material dating from 3rd century to 16th century AD
- Stones were quarried with iron tools into cylindrical or polygonal 7-ton pillars averaging 2 m high
- Each circle contains 8-14 pillars and measures 4-6 m across, located near burial mounds
- Stones include V-shaped and Y-shaped variants; some have cup-shaped hollows on top
- UNESCO designated four groups as a World Heritage Site
- Paul Devereux found no central alignments but parallel lines and triangles suggest underlying geometry
Site mentioned
Sources
Stone Circles of Senegambia | Location, Meaning, Maps, & Wassubritannica.com
The Stone Circles of Senegambia are groups of more than 1000 megalithic monuments, and their associated tumuli (burial mounds), ...
Stone Circles of Senegambia - UNESCO World Heritage Centrewhc.unesco.org
The site consists of four large groups of stone circles that represent an extraordinary concentration of over 1,000 monuments in a band 100 km wide along ...
Senegambian stone circles - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The Senegambian stone circles are the largest concentration of stone circles seen anywhere in the world, and they are an extensive sacred landscape
The Stone Circles of Senegambia — camelMapsjojamaps.com
The monuments consist of carefully arranged upright laterite stones forming circular patterns, often accompanied by burial mounds. The site ...
Stone circles of Senegambia - Smarthistorysmarthistory.org
The site consists of four large groups of stone circles that represent an extraordinary concentration of over 1,000 monuments in a band 100 km wide along some ...
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