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Scotland's Rock Art Project (ScRAP)

Date 23 February 2019

Event ID 1118755

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Note

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1118755

Date Fieldwork Started: 23/02/2019

Compiled by: ACFA North Glasgow

Location Notes: This panel (Canmore ID 42469) is located off the A82 trunk road west of Loch Lomond, about 500m up the Glen Fruin road (A818). On the N side of the road, it is immediately across a wire fence near the western end of a braking zone. The panel is situated on land that is gently sloping, generally in a NE - SW direction, with a prominent but small hillock, approximately 30m to the NE. The Finlas Water flows to the W, some 100 m S of the panel.The area is tree and shrub-covered with low vegetation. There are no other boulders or outcrops in the vicinity. The landscape and the vegetation restrict the views from the panel.

No additional archaeological features were identified, but more modern man-made features include the Glen Fruin Road, a significant road associated with transport of MoD personnel and materiel westward. The road is within 8m S of the panel. There is also a modern fence about 15m due W, and another between the modern road and the panel itself. Within 1m of the panel a prominent local authority road sign identifies the panel as being a Cup and Ring Marked Stone.

Panel Notes: The rock itself is 2.7 x 2.2m in size, with a maximum height of about 0.65m before dropping below ground level on all sides. It is broadly sub-circular at its base, and domed in shape, with all sides rising to its highest point, a little to the N of centre. This gives the rock an apparent N - S orientation. We have adopted the earlier description of the material as schist, though it exhibits such a large proportion of other material to look like a conglomerate. With no other evidence of either outcrops or boulders, and the rock disappearing below ground level, we were hesitant about which it was, before settling on the description as a boulder.

There are four carvings on different faces of the rock; the clearest and most complete was on the E sloping side of the rock, and the next most complete was on the S side. The other 2 carvings (one close to the peak of the rock and the other on the W flank) were barely started. Therefore, only the most obviously advanced carving are described here. This comprises a thin but deeply (2.5cm) incised circle of about 10cm in diameter, very precise and accurate, with no visible tool-markings but possibly made with a sharp tool. At its centre is a tiny 'cup', which is shallower than the incised circle. Though the most developed carving, it nonetheless appears unfinished, as though it had yet to be fully cut out and retrieved from the rock. There was, however, one possible cupmark found off the N side of the rock, as it dipped down to ground level. Even this did not exhibit the traditional shape of a cup marked feature, and no peck marks were identified here either.

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