Stone sitting walls average about 18 inches in elevation off the ground, and many of them double as stone retaining walls. Only one of the ones pictured here is freestanding – no soil behind it.
Some of these are curved, and some are straight. The curved stone sitting walls I build draw inspiration from the in-ground kivas built by Native Americans in the southwestern US. Most of the ones I build have alignment with cardinal directions, and several of them have more complex markings such as solstice, equinox, and lunar standstills. The Casa Rinconada kiva at Chaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico has been a particular inspiration to me for several decades.
Single slabs work best as the top surface of a stone sitting wall. They last longer than smaller stones placed or mortared together. I set each top surface so that the stone is level left to right and front to back. This allows equal compression on the stones below, and reduces movement due to gravity, and the soil’s natural expansion and contraction with weather, tremors, etc. In addition, the level top surface of the capstone enables easy use for people to sit on, or for placement of sculpture, potted plants, or other objects.