MHG496 - Small Group of Burial Cairns, Acharn
Summary
Site of 4 late neolithic-bronze age burial cairns.
Type and Period (2)
- BURIAL CAIRN (Early Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 2400 BC to 560 AD?)
- CIST (Early Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 2400 BC to 560 AD?) + Sci.Date
Protected Status
Full Description
Cairn A is as described in 1974 (RCAHMS, 1980, 49-50). It is situated on a very imposing site with commanding views over two valleys: southwards down the R. Aline and northwestwards along Loch Arienas. The peristalith is still almost intact. A large capstone, 1.30m by 0.90m almost covers the central cist, which presently reaches a depth of 0.80m deep.
Cairns B and C are as described in 1974. (RCAHMS, 1980, 49-50)
Field Verification Project (West Lochaber) - J Robertson, 03/2004
Radiocarbon determination on charcoal from central cist of cairn 3:
125 +/- 80 ad (GU-2070).
JNG Ritchie and I Thornber 1989.
Cairns, Acharn: Cairn 'A' is situated 200m SSE of the cairn described on NM65SE 4 and 300m NW of Acharn. It is a well-preserved platform-cairn measuring 13.5m in diameter and 0.6m in height. Almost all the kerb-stones, consiting of granite erratic boulders survive in situ. A central cist (not shown on RCAHMS plan) was discovered and excavated in 1977; it contained cremated bone, charcoal, a flint scraper and fragments of pottery (Information from I Thornber, Ardtornish).
Two more cairns (B and C) are situated respectively 30m S and 4.6m N of A. Both appear simply as small sub-circular mounds, the former measuring 7m across and 0.4m high, and the latter 6.5m across and 0.2m high.
A fourth cairn (D) is noted (Thornber 1974) 57.91m S of A. It measures 3.66m in diameter and 0.61m in height. It is not recorded by the RCAHMS who therefore do not consider it to be an antiquity.
I Thornber 1974; Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1977; RCAHMS 1980, visited 1974.
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG2660 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1980. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the monuments volume 3: Mull, Tiree, Coll and Northern Argyll (excluding the early medieval and later monuments of Iona). . 49-50, nos 7(3-5); plan.
- --- SHG379 Text/Publication/Article: Ritchie and Thornber, J N G and I. 1989. 'Cairn 3, Acharn, Morvern, Argyll', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 118 1988, p.95-8. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 95-8. 95-8.
- --- SHG596 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1977. 'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 106 1974-5, p.229-33. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 229-33. 18-19.
- --- SHG90 Text/Publication/Article: Thornber, I. 1974. 'Acharn, cairn, flint/scraper, cairn, cairns', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1974, p.19-20. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 19-20. 20 (cairns).
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NM 6970 5050 (16m by 16m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NM65SE |
| Civil Parish | MORVERN |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (2)
- SCRAPER (TOOL) (Early Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 2400 BC? to 560 AD?)
- SHERD (Early Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 2400 BC? to 560 AD?)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (3)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM7791 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM7793 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/22480 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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