This paper presents a study of free-standing Bronze Age megalithic monuments across western Scotland: Argyll, Lochaber, Kintyre, and the isles of Mull, Coll and Tiree. The original project was designed to unearth the locational choices of their builders, the reasons for these choices, and what they reveal about the belief systems of these societies. Using statistical analyses and 2D and 3D GIS, it will be demonstrated that vision is the main force behind locational decisions. The GIS analyses revealed that the builders chose a particular horizon shape, defined by qualities of distance, direction and relative apparent height as viewed from the monument (altitude). Significantly, approximately half the sites have the same locational variables as all the sites considered on the isles of Coll and Tiree (labelled ‘classic sites’: Higginbottom et al. in J Archaeol Method Theory 22:584–645, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-013-9182-7), while the other half are the topographical reverse (‘reverse sites’), where the major ‘astronomical show’ differs due to the topographical differences between the site types. It is relevant to note that landscapes that block views of particular major astronomical phenomena in the south are significantly more common at reverse sites than at classic sites. Specific results pertaining to individual areas will also be highlighted. It will be seen that the interplay between the astronomy and the topographical choices of the builders at each site highlights possible cosmological ideologies that can be observed and that were shared across western Scotland.

本文介绍了对苏格兰西部独立青铜时代巨石纪念碑的研究：阿盖尔岛、洛哈伯岛、金泰尔岛以及马尔岛、科尔岛和提里岛。最初的项目旨在挖掘建造者的地点选择、这些选择的原因，以及它们揭示了这些社会的信仰体系。使用统计分析以及 2D 和 3D GIS，将证明视觉是位置决策背后的主要力量。 GIS 分析显示，建造者选择了特定的地平线形状，该形状由距离、方向和从纪念碑（海拔）观看的相对表观高度的质量定义。值得注意的是，大约一半的地点与科尔岛和提里岛的所有地点具有相同的位置变量（标记为“经典地点”：Higginbottom 等人，《J Archaeol Method Theory》22:584–645, 2015。 https:// /doi.org/10.1007/s10816-013-9182-7），而另一半是地形反转（“反向站点”），其中主要的“天文表演”由于站点类型之间的地形差异而有所不同。值得注意的是，在南方，遮挡特定主要天文现象的景观在反向地点比在经典地点更为常见。还将强调与各个领域相关的具体结果。可以看出，每个地点的天文学和建造者的地形选择之间的相互作用凸显了可以观察到的、并且在整个苏格兰西部共享的可能的宇宙学意识形态。