Geograph - photograph every grid square

The Calanais (Callanish) Stones are situated on the western coast of the island of Leodhas (Lewis) in na h-Eileanan an Iar (the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides). Their remote location has probably helped with preventing their destruction in earlier times.
There are three groups of stones (I, II and III) in the immediate vicinity, with a further seventeen (IV to VIII, VIIIa to XIX) labelled sites and numerous others with no Roman numeral suffix. Of these multitude of sites the first group is the most extensive, famous and important.
It is estimated, as a result of excavation, that the stones were set in place between 2900 and 2600 BC - or nearly five thousand years ago. This means that they predate the main ring at Stonehenge, and are slightly older than the Great Pyramid at Giza, for example.
This date places them in the Neolithic (New Stone Age) period.

Calanais / Callanish I - Clachan Chalanais or Tursachan Chalanais
Calanais I is more complex than most surviving stone rings (which tend to be simply circular) as, looking down on it from above, it appears more like a Celtic Cross - i.e. a cross with a circle around the intersection point. It is not yet ascertained whether the cross and the circle were erected at the same time, or the cross added later. At the heart of the stones was a tomb, long since opened and emptied; but this tomb is thought to be a later addition, so was not the original reason for the stones.
Bronze Age (which immediately followed the Neolithic) remnants found nearby, indicate that the site continued in use for centuries, but it was eventually abandoned, and between 1000BC and 500BC became enveloped in a peat mound, such that their significance was not apparent for most of the modern era. It was not until the peat was removed in 1857 that their importance and grandeur was appreciated.
see NB2133 : Calanais / Callanish I - General View
see also Link
and Link

Calanais / Callanish II - Cnoc Ceann a' Gharaidh
The least extensive of the three groups of stones, Calanais II contains just five stones from what is thought to be an original ten stones with an 11th outlying stone. They are arranged in a slightly flattened circle (an ellipse) with major/minor axes of 21/19m (69/62 ft) They are of a similar date to Calanais I
see NB2232 : Calanais / Callanish II
see also Link
and Link

Calanais / Callanish III - Cnoc Filibhir Bheag
Calanais III is more extensive than CII having seventeen extant stones. These are arranged as two concentric ellipses. They are a short walk over marshy ground from CII and are the first group to be encountered when driving westwards to Callanish.
see NB2232 : Calanais / Callanish III - General View
see also Link
and Link

Calanais IV to Calanais XIX
This is a list of the other seventeen (17 rather than 16 as there is VIII and VIIIa) "Calanais / Callanish" sites - some quite some distance from I, II and III
I have tried to find map references, photos and hyperlinks for each site, but I have not personally verified any of the following:
IV - Ceann Hulavig (stone circle) NB22993041 - see NB2330 : Stone Circle at Ceann Hulavig (Callanish IV), Link (Photo) and Link
V - Garynahine, Àirigh nam Bidearan (stone alignment) NB23442988 see Link (Photo) and Link
VI - Cùl a' Chleit (stone circle) NB24663034 see Link (Photos) and Link
VII - Cnoc Dubh (aka Cnoc a' Bhotha) NB23203019 (ancient shieling) - see Link (Photo) and Link
VIII - Tursachan (semicircular cliff-top monument on Great Berneray) NB16443425 see NB1634 : Standing Stones, Link (Photo) and Link
VIIIa - Àird a' Chaolais (standing stone) facing Great Bernera NB16483407 (?) see Link
IX - Àirigh nam Bidearan (recumbent stones) NB23382975 see Link (Photo) and Link
X - Na Dromannan {Druim Nan Eun} (Cnoc a Charnain Mhoir & Bhig) (stone piles & quarry) NB22973362 see Link (Photo) and Link
XI - Beinn Bheag (various stones) NB22233569 see Link and Link
XII - Stonefield (Breascleit) (standing stone(s)) NB21553496 see Link (Photo) and Link see also NB2134 : Breascleit Cairn
XIII - Sgeir nan Each (stone setting) NB215341 {not shown on OS maps} see Link
XIV - Cnoc Sgeir na h-Uidhe (stones) NB22773298 {opposite side of A858 to Cal.III} see Link (Photo) and Link
XV - Àirigh Mhaoldonuich (standing stone) NB17753458 see Link
XVI - Cliacabhadh (standing stone + other stones) NB213338 {North of Calanais village, not shown on OS maps} see Link and Link
XVII - Druim na h-Aon Choich (standing stone?) NB23703191 see Link (Photo) and Link
XVIII - Loch Crogach (standing stone ?) NB24402923 see Link
XIX - Buaile Chruaidh (standing stone ?) NB21813314 see Link (Photo) and Link