People keep calling every old stone circle a 'calendar' and it's driving me nuts

I've been reading about the new dig at the Callanish Stones in Scotland, and every article says it was a 'prehistoric calendar' for tracking seasons. But the lead archaeologist on the project, Dr. Alison Sheridan, said in a 2023 interview that's just one theory among many. It could have been a place for gatherings, rituals, or marking territory. We see this with Stonehenge too, where the 'calendar' idea gets repeated so much it becomes fact. It matters because it makes ancient people seem one-dimensional, like they only cared about farming dates. Has anyone else noticed this trend of simplifying complex sites into single-purpose tools?

3 comments

3 Comments

valc911mo ago

Totally get what you mean, it feels like lazy reporting. I bet if I built a weird rock pile in my yard, the future would call it a calendar for tracking pizza delivery schedules. Makes you wonder why we're so quick to label things we don't understand as simple tools, doesn't it?

samk771mo ago

Yeah that pizza delivery line is spot on. We always assume old stuff was only for work or survival. Maybe my weird rock pile is just art, or a joke for the neighbors. It's like we can't imagine past people being bored or silly. Why does everything have to be a tool or a calendar?

ray_williams1mo ago

Same thing happens with modern art.