A small stone circle is a prehistoric ritual or ceremonial monument comprising a regular or irregular ring of between seven and sixteen stones averaging 1m tall, which are, or were once, set upright. The diameter of the setting in recorded examples varies from 4.4m to 19.8x17.8m. Other components which may be present are outlying standing stones, stone avenues or rows adjoining the circle, cists, central cairns and embankments around the circle. Small stone circles are recognised in the field as low ring-shaped stone settings.

Small stone circles may be confused with various types of ring cairns where prominent standing stones are set near the perimeter of a low cairn.

Small stone circles are easily distinguished from large regular and irregular stone circles because the latter have diameters of over 20m.

Small stone circles occur singly or in pairs and occasionally in groups of three.

It is possible that different types of small stone circles served different functions. Larger circles with avenues or stone rows may have served as meeting places, but embanked small stone circles and small stone circles with cairns have been shown to have had a sepulchral function. Excavation of these has frequently produced cists, urns and/or interments. Paired or multiple occurrences of small stone circles may indicate a larger population using the monuments, or may indicate that a range of functions were carried out at neighbouring sites.

The monument class was probably current from the Late Neolithic to the end of the Early Bronze Age. Their function may overlap with that of other classes of stone circle which have a similar currency.