- Also called:
- Senegambian Stone Circles
Stone Circles of Senegambia
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What are the Stone Circles of Senegambia?
The Stone Circles of Senegambia are megalithic monuments located in The Gambia and Senegal in western Africa. The stone circles consist of carved stone pillars assembled in a ring formation.
These circles are situated in a 100-km- (62-mile-) wide zone along a 350-km (217.5-mile) stretch on the north side of the Gambia River. The four groupings, Sine Ngayene and Wanar in Senegal, and Wassu and Ker Batch in The Gambia, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the circles were constructed between the 3rd century BCE and the 16th century CE. While their exact function remains unclear, excavations suggest they served as funerary complexes.
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Where are the Stone Circles of Senegambia located?
The Stone Circles of Senegambia are megalithic monuments located in a 100-km- (62-mile-) wide zone along a 350-km (217.5-mile) stretch on the north side of the Gambia River in western Africa.
Four groupingsāSine Ngayene and Wanar in Senegal, and Wassu and Ker Batch (also spelled as Kerbatch or Kerr Batch) in The Gambiaācontain 93 stone circles as well as their associated tumuli (burial mounds) and artifacts and are representative of all the similar megalithic monuments found in the area. The four complexes were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006.
Excavations suggest the stone circles served as funerary complexes.
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What do the stone circles look like and how were they made?
The Stone Circles of Senegambia consist of over 1,000 megalithic monuments located in The Gambia and Senegal in western Africa. They are made from carved stone pillars arranged in a ring formation. The number of stone pillars in each circle varies, with larger circles having more than 25 pillars and smaller circles having fewer than a dozen. The stone pillars average around 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall and can weigh up to 6,350 kg (14,000 pounds).
Archaeological evidence suggests that the circles were constructed gradually between the 3rd century BCE and the 16th century CE. The builders hand-carved iron-rich laterite slabs of stone from nearby quarries and transported them to the construction site. The pillars were then set vertically into pre-dug pits. Most stones are polygonal or cylindrical, but some are bifid (v- or lyre-shaped), and some are capped with a knob-like projection.
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Who built the Stone Circles of Senegambia, and when were they built?
The Stone Circles of Senegambia were constructed by a cohesive, highly organized society that had the manpower to accomplish the task. Archaeological evidence suggests that the circles were constructed gradually over a long period between the 3rd century BCE and the 16th century CE.
The stone circles are megalithic monuments located in The Gambia and Senegal in western Africa. The stone circles consist of pillars of carved stone assembled in a ring formation. While their exact function is unclear, excavations suggest they served as funerary complexes. The four groupings of Sine Ngayene and Wanar in Senegal, and Wassu and Ker Batch in The Gambia, were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006.
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What was the purpose of these stone circles?
The stone circles of Senegambia, located in Senegal and The Gambia, are megalithic monuments consisting of carved stone pillars in a ring formation. While their exact purpose remains unclear, excavations suggest they functioned as funerary complexes. Some sites contain mass graves, indicating many people may have died from epidemics or in battle. Other sites suggest individuals were buried alive, possibly as a form of sacrifice.
Four complexesāSine Ngayene and Wanar in Senegal, and Wassu and Ker Batch in The Gambiaāwere collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006.
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Why are the Stone Circles of Senegambia considered important today?
The Stone Circles of Senegambia are considered important today because they bear witness to a prosperous and highly organized society with traditions of stone circle constructions, associated with burials, and persisting in certain areas for over a millennium. In 2006, UNESCO collectively designated four groups of the Stone Circles of Senegambia as a World Heritage site. These circles are representative of similar megalithic monuments found in the Gambia and Senegal. While their exact function remains unclear, excavations suggest they served as funerary complexes. Today, there is a museum in Wassu devoted to the stone circles of Senegambia.
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Stone Circles of Senegambia, more than 1,000 megalithic monuments found across the countries of The Gambia and Senegal in western Africa. The stone circles, which are made from pillars of carved stone that are assembled in a ring formation, are situated in a 100-km- (62-mile-) wide zone along a 350-km (217.5-mile) stretch on the north side of the Gambia River. Four groupingsāSine Ngayene and Wanar in Senegal, and Wassu and Ker Batch (also spelled as Kerbatch or Kerr Batch) in The Gambiaācontain 93 stone circles as well as their associated tumuli (burial mounds) and artifacts and are representative of all the similar megalithic monuments found in the area; the four groups were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006.
The number of stone pillars in each circle varies. Some larger circles have more than 25, while smaller circles have fewer than a dozen. Within the four complexes that make up the World Heritage site, circles typically have between 8 and 14 stone pillars. The height and weight of the stones are not uniform, though on average, the stones are 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall and can weigh as much as 6,350 kg (14,000 pounds). The diameters of the stone circles also vary but typically average between 4 meters (13 feet) to 6 meters (19.6 feet). Some of the sites feature doubles circlesāa smaller circle within a larger circle.
History and construction
Archaeological evidence indicates that the circles were constructed gradually over a long time period between the 3rd century bce and the 16th century ce. The process of constructing the circles, based on the number of stones and their consistent geometric placement, leads researchers to believe they were placed by a cohesive, highly organized society with the manpower to accomplish the task.
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Before constructing the stone circles, the builders had to hand carve the iron-rich laterite slabs of stone from nearby quarries and extract them in one piece. Any that were broken in the process of extraction were left at the quarry. The pillars were then transported to the construction site and set vertically into pre-dug pits. Most of the slabs of stone are polygonal or cylindrical, but some are bifid (v- or lyre-shaped), and some are capped with a small knob-like projection.
Function
While the exact function of the Senegambiaās stone circles is unclear, findings during excavations suggest that they served as funerary complexes. At some sites, excavations uncovered mass graves with bodies thrown in haphazardly, suggesting a large number of the regionās inhabitants succumbed to an epidemic or died in a battle. At other sites, excavations uncovered evidence suggesting people were buried alive, perhaps as a kind of sacrifice.
UNESCO World Heritage site
Four main groups of circles, or complexesāSine Ngayene and Wanar in Senegal and Wassu and Ker Batch in The Gambiaāwere inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006 to ābear witness to a prosperous and highly organized society with traditions of stone circle constructions, associated with burials, and persisting in certain areas over more than a millennium.ā
The Sine Ngayene complex is the largest at 5.26 hectares (13 acres). It encompasses 52 circles (including one double circle) and was built with 1,102 pillars. Excavation work at the complex determined that there were single burials, suggesting the circles acted as cemeteries, which appeared to precede the time of mass burials associated with stone circles. The Wanar complex encompasses 21 circles (including one double circle), in its 2.17-hectare (5.4 acre) area. It is also where the majority of the total number of bifid stones in all the stone circles are located.
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The 1.63-hectare (4 acre) Wassu complex encompasses 11 circles along with their associated lines of frontal stones. This site also has the tallest stone pillar of the four complexes, measuring 2.59 meters (8.5 feet). The Ker Batch complex encompasses 9 circles, including a double circle, in its 0.79-hectare (2 acre) area. It also contains the only known bifid stone in The Gambia.