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38-510: Temple Wood (or Half Moon Wood) is an ancient site located in Kilmartin Glen , near Kintyre , Argyll , Scotland . The site includes two circles (north and south). The southern circle contains a ring of 13 standing stones about 12 metres (40 feet) in diameter. In the past it may have had 22 stones. In the centre is a burial cist surrounded by a circle of stones about 3 metres (10 feet) in diameter. Other later burials are associated with

76-523: A polygonal chamber and a short passage to one end of the cairn. The Rubha an Dùnain peninsula on the island of Skye provides an example from the 2nd or 3rd millennium BC. Barpa Langass on North Uist is the best preserved chambered cairn in the Hebrides. Bargrennan chambered cairns are a class of passage graves found only in south-west Scotland, in western Dumfries and Galloway and southern Ayrshire . As well as being structurally different from

114-548: A roofless, semi-circular forecourt at the entrance provided access from the outside (although the entrance itself was often blocked), and gives this type of chambered cairn its alternate name of court tomb or court cairn . These forecourts are typically fronted by large stones and it is thought the area in front of the cairn was used for public rituals of some kind. The chambers were created from large stones set on end, roofed with large flat stones and often sub-divided by slabs into small compartments. They are generally considered to be

152-510: A settlement, and served as that community's "graveyard". During the early Neolithic (4000–3300 BC) architectural forms are highly regionalised with timber and earth monuments predominating in the east and stone-chambered cairns in the west. During the later Neolithic (3300–2500 BC) massive circular enclosures and the use of grooved ware and Unstan ware pottery emerge. Scotland has a particularly large number of chambered cairns; they are found in various different types described below. Along with

190-405: A single menhir in the middle. Around which are seven smaller stones and one fallen one. Another menhir is one hundred metres to the northwest leading towards the circle. Alexander Thom toured this site with Magnus Magnusson in 1970 in a BBC television documentary called "Chronicle: Cracking the stone age code" . He suggested that it "gave so much information that it must be regarded as one of

228-459: A six-mile (ten-kilometre) radius of the village, with 150 monuments being prehistoric. Monuments include standing stones , a henge monument , numerous cists , and a "linear cemetery" comprising five burial cairns . Several of these, as well as many natural rocks, are decorated with cup and ring marks . The remains at Dunadd of the fortress of the Scots, a royal centre of Dal Riata , are located to

266-535: A whole. The Clyde or Clyde-Carlingford type are principally found in northern and western Ireland and southwestern Scotland. They first were identified as a separate group in the Firth of Clyde region, hence the name. Over 100 have been identified in Scotland alone. Lacking a significant passage, they are a form of gallery grave . The burial chamber is normally located at one end of a rectangular or trapezoidal cairn, while

304-506: Is an area in Argyll north of Knapdale . It has the most important concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in mainland Scotland . The glen is located between Oban and Lochgilphead , surrounding the village of Kilmartin . In the village, Kilmartin Museum explains the stories of this ancient landscape and the people who dwelt there. There are more than 800 ancient monuments within

342-403: Is by far the largest and most diverse. It has been subdivided into Yarrows, Camster and Cromarty subtypes but the differences are extremely subtle. The design is of dividing slabs at either side of a rectangular chamber, separating it into compartments or stalls. The number of these compartments ranges from 4 in the earliest examples to over 24 in an extreme example on Orkney . The actual shape of

380-527: Is cross or trefoil -shaped and there are no smaller individual compartments. An example is to be found on the uninhabited island of Vementry on the north side of the West Mainland , where it appears that the cairn may have originally been circular and its distinctive heel shape added as a secondary development, a process repeated elsewhere in Shetland. This probably served to make the cairn more distinctive and

418-419: Is over 6m long, around 1.7m high, and 1.8m wide at its northern end, tapering to 1.5m. Although now exposed, the chamber would have been encased within the cairn. Two cists were also located in this cairn, to the south of the chamber. Archaeological finds recovered from Nether Largie South include Neolithic pottery and arrowheads. This is the most southerly cairn in the linear cemetery, believed locally to be

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456-502: Is surrounded by an arc of Bronze Age mounds. The central chamber of Holm of Papa Westray South cairn is over 20 metres long. The Bookan type is named after a cairn found to the north-west of the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney, which is now a dilapidated oval mound, about 16 metres in diameter. Excavations in 1861 indicated a rectangular central chamber surrounded by five smaller chambers. Because of

494-458: The Inverness area. Corrimony chambered cairn near Drumnadrochit is an example dated to 2000 BC or older. The only surviving evidence of burial was a stain indicating the presence of a single body. The cairn is surrounded by a circle of 11 standing stones. The cairns at Balnuaran of Clava are of a similar date. The largest of three is the north-east cairn, which was partially reconstructed in

532-540: The Orkney Mainland , both of which date from the mid 4th millennium BC and were probably in use over long periods of time. When the latter was excavated in 1884, grave goods were found that gave their name to Unstan ware pottery. Blackhammer cairn on Rousay is another example dating from the 3rd millennium BC. The Grey Cairns of Camster in Caithness are examples of this type from mainland Scotland. The Tomb of

570-474: The Eagles on South Ronaldsay is a stalled cairn that shows some similarities with the later Maeshowe type. It was in use for 800 years or more and numerous bird bones were found here, predominantly white-tailed sea eagle . The Maeshowe group, named after the famous Orkney monument, is among the most elaborate. They appear relatively late and only in Orkney and it is not clear why the use of cairns continued in

608-588: The boundary of the cairn, can still be seen. Inside two cists were found, with grooved joints between the stone slabs. Cup marks, and a carving of an axehead, can be seen on the southern cist. Nether Largie South is the oldest monument of the linear cemetery. It is a Neolithic chambered cairn of the Clyde type, probably dating from the fourth millennium BC. The cairn was probably originally around 40m in diameter and 4m high, although stone robbing has reduced its size. The internal chamber, subdivided into four by floor slabs,

646-525: The cairn varies from simple circular designs to elaborate 'forecourts' protruding from each end, creating what look like small amphitheatres . It is likely that these are the result of cultural influences from mainland Europe , as they are similar to designs found in France and Spain . Examples include Midhowe on Rousay , and both the Unstan Chambered Cairn and Wideford Hill chambered cairn from

684-484: The circle. According to the Historic Scotland information marker at the site, the southern circle's first incarnation may have been constructed around 3000 BC . The northern circle is smaller and consists of rounded river stones (which also fill the southern circle). In its centre is a single stone; another stone is found on the edge of the circle. This circle may have originated as a timber circle. The name of

722-516: The earliest in Scotland. Examples include Cairn Holy I and Cairn Holy II near Newton Stewart , a cairn at Port Charlotte , Islay , which dates to 3900–4000 BC, and Monamore, or Meallach's Grave, Arran , which may date from the early fifth millennium BC. Excavations at the Mid Gleniron cairns near Cairnholy revealed a multi-period construction which shed light on the development of this class of chambered cairn. The Orkney-Cromarty group

760-520: The early phases bones of numerous bodies are often found together and it has been argued that this suggests that in death at least, the status of individuals was played down. During the late Neolithic henge sites were constructed and single burials began to become more commonplace; by the Bronze Age it is possible that even where chambered cairns were still being built they had become the burial places of prominent individuals rather than of communities as

798-462: The excavations of settlements such as Skara Brae , Links of Noltland , Barnhouse , Rinyo and Balfarg and the complex site at Ness of Brodgar these cairns provide important clues to the character of civilization in Scotland in the Neolithic. However the increasing use of cropmarks to identify Neolithic sites in lowland areas has tended to diminish the relative prominence of these cairns. In

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836-495: The first of their kind to be found in Scotland. Depictions were contained two male red deer with full-grown forked horns, which were considered to have been the largest deer species in Scotland during this time. Two kilometers south of Kilmartin and one kilometer south of the Nether Largie South Cairn is the site of Bruach An Druimein. Excavated in the 1960s in advance of gravel quarrying, archaeologists discovered

874-678: The following reasons: (i) the Barbreck Stones do not indicate any of the same declinations of celestial bodies as the Kilmartin Stones; (ii) the Barbreck Stones do not unambiguously indicate the declinations of any significant celestial body; and (iii) the Barbreck Stones do not indicate any prominent notches that can be used for investigation into the orbital variations of the Moon. Kilmartin Glen has "a remarkable concentration of some of

912-545: The forecourt area more defined. Like the Shetland cairn the Hebridean group appear relatively late in the Neolithic. They are largely found in the Outer Hebrides , although a mixture of cairn types are found here. These passage graves are usually larger than the Shetland type and are round or have funnel-shaped forecourts, although a few are long cairns – perhaps originally circular but with later tails added. They often have

950-491: The most important, if not the most important site in Britain". He clarified his hypothesis that it was a lunar observatory for predicting eclipses . A reassessment of this hypothesis was carried out by Jon Patrick from Melbourne University in 1979. His conclusion was: that there are reasonable grounds for doubting that the Kilmartin Stones were deliberately orientated on the occurrence of any type of astronomical phenomena, for

988-516: The most impressive cup and ring decorated rock surfaces in Scotland". The purpose, and even the precise date, of cup and ring marks is uncertain. They are found on natural rock surfaces at Achnabreck, Cairnbaan , Ballygowan, and Baluachraig near Kilmichael Glassary . In May 2021, archaeologists announced the discovery of prehistoric ancient deer carvings thought to date to the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age inside Dunchraigaig Cairn. They are

1026-455: The nearby Clyde cairns, Bargrennan cairns are distinguished by their siting and distribution; they are found in upland, inland areas of Galloway and Ayrshire. In addition to the increasing prominence of individual burials, during the Bronze Age regional differences in architecture in Scotland became more pronounced. The Clava cairns date from this period, with about 50 cairns of this type in

1064-536: The north when their construction had largely ceased elsewhere in Scotland. They consist of a central chamber from which lead small compartments, into which burials would be placed. The central chambers are tall and steep-sided and have corbelled roofing faced with high quality stone. In addition to Maeshowe itself, which was constructed c. 2700 BC, there are various other examples from the Orkney Mainland. These include Quanterness chambered cairn (3250 BC) in which

1102-491: The possible burial place of a King. It was built between 2200 BC and 1950 BC, and was more recently used as a lime kiln. Three excavations took place at the site: By Reverend Mapleton (1870); Craw (1929); and V. Gordon Childe (1936). All traces of the lime kiln were removed following a reconstruction of the site. Nether Largie standing stones are located southeast of Temple Wood stone circle and are composed of four menhirs , arranged in pairs an approximately 70 metres apart, with

1140-560: The remains of 157 individuals were found when excavated in the 1970s, Cuween Hill near Finstown which was found to contain the bones of men, dogs and oxen and Wideford Hill chambered cairn , which dates from 2000 BC. Examples from elsewhere in Orkney are the Vinquoy chambered cairn , and the Huntersquoy chambered cairn , both found on the north end of the island of Eday and Quoyness on Sanday constructed about 2900 BC and which

1178-565: The remains of a Bronze Age cists cemetery, the remains of two round houses from the Iron Age , the first certain Iron Age roundhouses to have been discovered by excavation in Argyll, and a standing stone of a fairly recent date, the 19th century. The archaeological materials were examined shortly after the excavation but has since been reexamined in the 2000s and that has led to different interpretations of

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1216-483: The site originates in the 19th century (coinciding with the planting of trees around the circles) and has no relevance to the purpose of the site. It is located just south of the southern Nether Largie cairn. It is a designated scheduled monument . 56°07′24.78″N 5°29′55.40″W  /  56.1235500°N 5.4987222°W  / 56.1235500; -5.4987222 Kilmartin Glen Kilmartin Glen

1254-458: The site. Stone tools that were originally thought to be from the Mesolithic period, ending 3000 BC, are now believed to be from the neolithic or Bronze Age, but not related to the cist burials. Two medieval glass beads were found that have similar chemical compositions to those found at Dunadd , leading the archaeologists to believe the site was associated with Dunadd. In 2007, Kilmartin Glen

1292-568: The south of the glen, on the edge of the Moine Mhòr ("Great Moss"). Kilmartin Museum is located within the village itself and inspires and educates people by interpreting, explaining and conserving the internationally important archaeological landscape, artefacts, and natural heritage of Kilmartin Glen. The most visible feature of the Kilmartin Glen is the linear arrangement of cairns, running over three miles (five kilometres) south-by-southwest of

1330-525: The structure's unusual design, it was originally presumed to be an early form. However, later interpretations and further excavation work in 2002 suggested that they have more in common with the later Maeshowe type rather than the stalled Orkney-Cromarty cairns. Huntersquoy chambered cairn on Eday is a double storied Orkney–Cromarty type cairn with a Booken-type lower chamber. The Shetland or Zetland group are relatively small passage graves, that are round or heel-shaped in outline. The whole chamber

1368-458: The village. There are five remaining cairns in the alignment, although cropmarks and other traces suggest that there may originally have been more. The burial cairns are of Bronze Age origin, with the exception of Nether Largie South cairn, which is a Stone Age structure, rebuilt in the Bronze Age. The most northerly cairn, Glebe is situated immediately to the west of Kilmartin Village. The cairn

1406-425: Was excavated in 1864 by the antiquary Canon William Greenwell , and two concentric stone circles were found beneath the stones. At the centre were two cist burials, and finds recovered included a jet necklace and a decorated bowl. This cairn was first excavated in 1929, shortly after much of the stone had been reused in roadbuilding. It is around 30m across, and was formerly 3m in height. Kerbstones, which formed

1444-608: Was the setting for Half Life , a piece of landscape art and performance created by the Scottish theatre company NVA in collaboration with the National Theatre of Scotland . 56°8′1″N 5°29′13″W  /  56.13361°N 5.48694°W  / 56.13361; -5.48694 Chambered cairn Typically, the chamber is larger than a cist , and will contain a larger number of interments, which are either excarnated bones or inhumations (cremations). Most were situated near

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