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MHG8009 - Cup and Ring Marked Stone - Ardoch

Summary

A cup and ring marked stone at Ardoch.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

NH67SW 23 6115 7247.

At NH 6113 7248 is a prostrate slab, c.0.7m square bearing at least 25 cup marks varying from about 1ins to 4ins in diameter.
Surveyed at 1/2500. Visited by OS (A A) 3 November 1970. <1>

Graham Grant visited this stone on 22 September and submitted photos to the HER. He describes the stone as a "fine example sitting on its own at the edge of a field". <2>

This panel was recorded as part of the ScRAP (Scotland’s Rock Art project) by members of NoSAS in September 2018. The panel is located towards the top of a gently sloping ridge, facing east and with long-distance views to the east and southeast, notably directly out to sea between the north and south Sutors of the Cromarty Firth. There are several other larger and more prominent erratic boulders nearby, these are mostly of a coarse or very coarse grained granitic rock. The panel is unusual in its local context as it lies flat at ground level and is a fine sandstone. It lies in the grass, not easily seen, about 7m south of an east=west modern fence, and about 17m southeast of a very prominent boulder adjacent to the fence line.

The panel is rectangular, about 1.1m by 0.9m, and lies flat in the ground. It is a fine sandstone with 32 cups of varying sizes - 27 small, 5 larger including one very large one at the southwest corner. The panel is divided by a series of 5 or 6 distinct grooves which curve across the surface. Some of the cups are alongside the grooves, forming curved rows. <3>

NGR adjusted based on 2021 vertical aerial photographs. <4>

Sources/Archives (5)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 6114 7247 (10m by 10m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH67SW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	ALNESS

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (1)

External Links (2)