Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM11541_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014016)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of an unfinished fort, visible as a series of walls, ditches and revetments. The fort is Iron Age, dating to the first millennium BC and forms part of wider pattern of later prehistoric defensive and domestic structures. It lies on a steep-sided narrow sinuous ridge running WSW-ENE, at 280m above sea level, 270m S of Mains of Aberarder.

The fort is sub-rectangular in shape and appears to be unfinished. It measures 80m WSW-ENE by about 45m transversely, within a terrace about 3-4m wide, which is scarped into the steep sides of the ridge. The terrace becomes a ditch in the W and E, where it crosses the spine of the ridge, and in the SE where it crosses a lower spur. There are three breaks, one in the N and one, probably the entrance, in the W, at the easiest point of access along the top of the ridge. Outside the terrace on the NE side is a discontinuous line of earthfast stones, probably the outer face of a wall, surviving for a length of 37m, and in the S, an outer terrace visible, with traces of a boulder-faced revetment along its lower side. The western approach is defended by two outer ditches across the ridge, and there are traces of another to the E. The monument is crossed on the E side by a modern metal post-and-wire fence. A television aerial mast is situated in the centre of the fort, and another is located immediately to the E of the eastern outer rampart.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, to include the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to be found, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The above-ground elements of the post-and-wire fence and the television aerial masts are specifically excluded from the scheduling to allow for their maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

The monument's archaeological significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics: The monument is reasonably well preserved, despite the fact that it has been partly planted with conifers. It is the only unfinished hillfort in the area and its upstanding remains are likely to date to the first millennium BC. Despite some disturbance from later quarrying operations, the monument retains evidence of multivallate defences. Given the upstanding nature of the remains, it is likely that archaeologically significant deposits relating to the construction, use and abandonment of the fort remain in place. In addition, it is likely that deposits survive that could provide data relating to the later prehistoric environment.

The monument has considerable potential to enhance understanding of Iron Age domestic, defensive and ritual activity. Its location next to a pond and boggy place indicates that there may have been interest in the site due to its proximity to a watery place.

Contextual characteristics: The monument is a good representative of a numerous class; 183 forts are known in Highland. As an unfinished fort, however, Mains of Aberarder has the near-unique potential to enhance understanding of fort construction in the later prehistoric period, even without excavation. Unfinished forts are rare, and their distribution in Scotland is thought to be confined to the NE; Mains of Aberarder is on the western limit of the known distribution. Mains of Aberarder is unusual in that it is much smaller than the other known examples and may therefore have the potential to provide insights additional to those that might be provided by the larger unfinished forts.

Within 1km of the fort are several hut circles and associated field systems, banks and clearance cairns. Together, these elements have the potential to provide a better understanding of how later prehistoric society was structured.

National Importance: The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to the understanding of the past, in particular Iron Age society, the design and construction of hillforts, and the nature of Iron Age domestic, defensive and ritual practice. This potential is enhanced by its relatively good preservation and the survival of marked field characteristics. The loss of the example would significantly impede our ability to understand the Iron Age in northern Scotland.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.