a group of free standing stones and are often found to have been built on the top of older wooden circles

A ring of stones. The stones are usually set upright in the ground, but can be prostrate (as at Arbor Low). The stones may be arranged in a circular fashion, but flattened, elliptical and egg-shaped circles also exist. Built in the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age periods.

Ring, which may not be circular, of spaced or contiguous standing stones; sometimes roughly (and very rarely completely) dressed

A stone circle is a roughly circular or oval setting of upright stones. Stone circles can have other stones circles inside them.

sacred meeting, trading, educational, ceremonial, prayer area, bronze age church

A stone circle is an ancient monument, not always circular (often an ellipse, or a setting of 4 stones laid on an arc of a circle), delimited by a varying (from 4-60+)http://www.iol.ie/~sec/sites.htm#Stone%20Circles A Brief Guide To Irish Archaeological Sites. iol.ie. Retrieved on 21 January, 2006. number of purposely erected standing stones, and often containing burial pits or chambers. Stone circles usually date from the British late Neolithic / early Bronze Age, that is, c. 3000-1500 B.C.Ó Nualláin, 1984a, 10 Archaeological evidence, coupled with information from astronomy, geology and mathematics, suggests that the purpose of stone circles was connected with prehistoric peoples' beliefs, and their construction can be used to infer about ancient engineering, social organisation, and religion.

The Stone Circles of the Iron Age (ca. 500 BC - ca. 400 AD) were a characteristic burial custom of southern Scandinavia, especially Götaland during the Pre-Roman Iron Age and the Roman Iron Age. In Sweden, they are called Domarringar (judge circles), Domkretsar (judge circles) or Domarsäten (judge seats). They should not be confused with the Stone circles of the Bronze Age and Britain.