Archaeology Notes

Event ID 696388

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/696388

NR74SW 3 7043 4031

(NR 7044 4031) (information from RCAHMS 6" map) The best example of cup-and-ring markings in Kintyre is to be seen on two stones which originally formed one enormous boulder, situated in heathery moorland 915m E of Low Clachaig and 90m S of the Allt an Fhraoich. Both stones have suffered from weathering and, apart from the cups themselves, the markings are rather indistinct.

The larger stone measures 2.4m by 2.1m and bears at least fifty-four circular or oval cups up to 0.10m in diameter and 0.38m in depth. Three of the larger cups each have two complete or partial rings, and in one case a radial groove leads from the central cup through both rings and beyond. Three other cups have a single ring each, two of them complete. In two instances a pair of cups are joined by a short channel to form a dumbbell pattern. The smaller stone measures 2.4m by 1.5m and has thirty-nine cups, six of which are accompanied by an incomplete ring. RCAHMS 1971; R W B Morris 1977; Information from D Colville to OS, 1953.

These cup and ring-marked boulders are as described and illustrated by RCAHMS.

Surveyed at 1:10 000.

Visited by OS (N K B) 15 March 1978.

NR 704 403. A programme of excavation and re-instatement was carried out by GUARD on a cup-marked boulder which lay 915m E of Low Clachaig farm, Kintyre. Excavation around the boulder revealed nothing of interest, however it became clear that the largest decorated fragment of the boulder was totally missing. This had been accidentally removed during road building operations in High Clachaig forest.

A 30m stretch of road and accompanying bank were excavated in a bid to recover the missing fragment. This was finally achieved with the recovery of the western half of the boulder from a culvert some 50m to the E of the site. The existence of a larger mother stone beneath the cup-marked fragments meant that the boulder pieces could be re-instated to the exact position, alignment and orientation from which they were disturbed in 1989.

Sponsor: Scottish Woodlands.

J A Atkinson 1993.