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

  SM12435_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014246)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a cairn of neolithic or Bronze-Age date. It survives as a stony mound near the summit of an un-named hill, at about 70m above sea level.

The monument measures 19m in diameter and 1.35m in height. In the top and S flank of the cairn there is a hollow, probably relating to the owner's excavation of 1976 and, on the east, a rectangular depression that probably indicates the location of the Kintore Landscape Project excavation trench in 2004. A small sherd of pottery and a small calcined flint flake were found on the monument in 1974, and a cup-marked stone has also been found at the monument.

The area to be scheduled is circular in plan, to include the remains described and an area around within which evidence relating to their construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The above-ground elements of the electricity pylon on the south-east are specifically excluded from the scheduling, to allow for its maintenance; the scheduling extends up to but excludes the post-and-wire fences on the west and north.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

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

Intrinsic characteristics

The monument is visible as an upstanding feature, a relatively well-preserved example of a neolithic or Bronze-Age cairn. Excavation has revealed that the cairn survives to a height of 1.35m and is situated on a natural knoll. It consists of a dump of stones of local origin, among which archaeologists found 14 pieces of flint and quartz debitage in 2004. These excavations also revealed that the cup-marked stone had been chocked into position and that the lower portions of the cairn were previously undisturbed. A thin charcoal layer at the base of the cairn yielded radiocarbon dates in the second half of the 4th millennium BC, suggesting that there was activity on the site during the neolithic. Other finds suggest that there may also have been activity on the site in the Bronze Age. As the excavation concentrated on a small proportion of the monument, the monument retains the potential to further our understanding of neolithic or Bronze-Age funerary practices, as well as inform our knowledge of the structural features of large burial monuments.

Contextual characteristics

This monument's importance is enhanced by its location in a lowland setting, where few upstanding monuments survive. The monument belongs to a diverse group of around 165 surviving neolithic or Bronze-Age burial cairns in Strathdon, of which 71 have been removed. It is part of a much larger, contemporary burial tradition encompassing much of Scotland. Monuments like this across Strathdon share aspects of the same construction style, use and relative position in the landscape. This example is particularly significant, because a cup-marked stone was found in it, apparently in its original position. The location of such sites was extremely important and it is significant that this cairn would have been intervisible with the long barrow at Forest Road, Kintore. The spatial analysis of this cairn and other ceremonial and domestic sites, such as those nearby, may further our understanding of funerary site location, the structure and nature of society and the neolithic or Bronze-Age economy.

National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it has the potential to contribute to an understanding of the past, in particular neolithic or Bronze-Age burial architecture and practice in Scotland. It also fits into a distinctive pattern of prehistoric burial and settlement in the Strathdon area. Skeletal remains and artefacts from such burials have the potential to tell us about wider prehistoric society, how people lived, where they came from and who they had contact with. The old ground surface sealed by the monument can provide information about what the contemporary environment looked like and how the prehistoric people who interred their dead here managed the surrounding land. The loss of this monument would impede our ability to understand the neolithic or Bronze-Age ritual landscape, as well as our knowledge of neolithic or Bronze-Age social structure and economy.

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.