MHG11369 - Cup and Ring Marked Stone - Learable Hill
Summary
A cup and ring marked stone at Learable Hill.
Type and Period (1)
- CUP AND RING MARKED STONE (Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC? to 551 BC?)
Protected Status
Full Description
NC82SE 2 8948 2400.
(NC 8948 2400) Cup-marked Stone (NR)
OS 6"map, (1962)
A cup-marked, earth-fast boulder of schist with a flat upper surface exposed for an area of 7' by 3'4". The cup-marks, well-defined and measuring about 3 1/2" in diameter by 1 1/2" deep, occur in two groups, one at the SW end of the stone consisting of twelve orthodox cup-marks and an elongated marking and the other group near the middle of the stone consisting of seven small cup-marks and two elongated markings. The three elongated markings measure 6" to 7" in length and may be due to weathering combining pairs of round cup-marks.
RCAHMS 1911, visited 1909; Visited by OS (W D J) 29 May 1961
No change to previous reports.
Visited by OS (J B) 23 December 1976
This cup-marked stone lies some 30m SSW of a cairn (NC82SE 3), immediately within the head-dyke of Learable township (NC82se20). There are at least 16 plain cup-marks on its upper face (2m in length by 1.4m in breadth) and they measure up to 100mm in diameter and 40mm in depth. Visited by RCAHMS (PJD) 6 June 1991.
This panel was recorded as part of the ScRAP (Scotland’s Rock Art project) by members of NoSAS in October 2019. The panel lies on a south and southeast facing open grass/moorland area overlooking the multi-period landscape of Learable, and Strath Kildonan beyond. It is about 12m south of a substantial stone and earth bank, and 25m southwest of the west most tree. The panel Learable Hill (Canmore 6717, ScRAP 267) and stone circle is 40m to the NNE, and a clearance cairn lies about 30m NNE.
The panel is a flat-topped oval boulder of gneiss 2.1 x 1.2m with a maximum height of 0.8m. The top (carved surface) slopes gently to the southeast, and the ground falls away to the south, leaving a pronounced overhang. The carved surface is weathered and cracked. There are 20 cups, all in the southern half of the panel, and two elongated 'cups' on the southeast edge which respect the grain of the rock and may be natural. <1>
NGR adjusted based on 2020 vertical aerial photographs. <2>
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG2657 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Second report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Sutherland. . 134, No. 383.
- --- SHG2669 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Cowley, D.C., Dixon, P.J. and Ritchie, J.N.G.. 1993. Strath of Kildonan: an archaeological survey. RCAHMS. . Paper and Digital.
- <1> SHG28055 Interactive Resource/Online Database: Historic Environment Scotland. 2017-. Scotland's Rock Art (ScRAP). ScRAP ID 2572.
- <2> SHG28725 Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph/Vertical: Get Mapping. 2020. Getmapping aerial photography 2020. XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 8948 2400 (10m by 10m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC82SE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | KILDONAN |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM1803 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/6709 (View HES Canmore entry for this site)
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