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BALNAFOICH 1

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Canmore ID 13149 SCRAP ID 708
Location OS Grid Ref: NH 68418 35061 Team Not in team
Existing Classifications
Classification Period
CUP MARKED STONE PREHISTORIC
Date Fieldwork Started 26/11/2018 Date Fieldwork Completed
New Panel? No  

Section A. CORE INFORMATION

A1. Identifiers

Panel Name BALNAFOICH Number 1
Other names scheduled as "Balnafoich, cupmarks 320m SSW of"
HER/SMR SM Number SM11557 Other
Classifications And Periods
Classification 1 Cup Marked Rock Period 1 Neol/bronze Age
County
INVERNESS-SHIRE

A2. Grid Reference(original find site)

OS NGR NH 68410 35050
New OS NGR NH 68418 35061
Lat/Long 57.38688 -4.1906
Obtained By: Mobile Phone

A3. Current Location & Provenance

Located
  • At original location
Accession no. Not given

Section B. CONTEXT

B1. Landscape Context

Weather Sunny Intervals
Position in landscape Hillside
Topography(terrain within about 500m of panel.) Sloping
Aspect of slope (if on sloping terrain e.g. S, SE etc.) SE

B2. Current land use & vegetation

  • Improved Pasture
  • Rough Grazing

B3. Forestry

  • No selection

B4. Archaeological Features within 200m / or visible from the panel

  • Other rock art

B5. Location Notes

On the W bank of the River Nairn, opposite the confluence with the River Farnack, is a SE facing slope currently in use as rough pasture, which is littered with numerous boulders. This panel sits flush with the ground and is largely covered in moss and turf. It can be found on the edge of the area of rough pasture towards the bottom of the slope, and close to a pole supporting a power cable. A second carved panel can be found approximately 10m to the E, named Balnafoich 2 (ScRAP ID: 3056).

Previous Notes

NH63NE 47 6841 3505 At NH 6841 3505 on the edge of a pasture field are two cup-marked boulders within 16.0 m of each other. The W example, found by Mr E A Meldrum, measures about 2.0 by 2.0 m and 1.2 m high, with at least three cup-marks on its upper surface. The E boulder, discovered during field investigation, lies flush with the ground and is partially obscured by turf. The exposed part measures 2.4 by 1.2 m, and contains 16 cup-marks. There are numerous boulders in the area, most of which have been removed from the adjacent field. No further cup-marks were identified. Surveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (N K B) 6 September 1982. Scheduled as 'Balnafoich, cupmarks 320m SSW of,... two large earthfast boulders bearing cup markings... The boulders lie 16m apart from each other in unimproved pasture close to the confluence of [the] rivers Farnack and Nairn at 180m above sea level.' Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 1 March 2007. NH 68389 35100 50m N of the easternmost stone recorded in NH63NE47, a boulder 2.8 x 1.2 x 0.9m bearing seven cup marks the largest being 50 x 20mm. George Currie, 2006.

Section C. PANEL

C1. Panel Type

In the landscape Boulder/Slab

C2. Panel Dimensions, Slope & Orientation

Dimensions of panel (m to one decimal place)
Length (longer axis) 2.4 Width 1.3
Height (max) 0 Height (min)
Approximate slope of carved surface
30 degrees degrees
Orientation (Aspect e.g. NW)
Rock Surface SSE Carved Surface SSE Carved Surface

C3. Rock Surface

Surface Compactness Hard Grain Size Medium Visible Anomalies No selection Rock Type Schist

C4. Surface Features

  • Fissures/cracks
  • Rough surface

C5. Panel Notes

This slightly pear-shaped, gently domed panel lies flat against the earth. It measures 2.4m in length and is 1.3m wide. Twenty-five cups of varying depths have been carved in an apparently scattered manner over the surface. Additionally, there is also a clear curving groove or crack near the NW (narrower) end.

C6. Probability

The probability that there is any rock art on the panel is Definite

Comments

No comments added

C7. MOTIFS

Cupmark
cupmark_1
25
Groove
groove_6
1

Visible Tool Marks? No

Visible Peck Marks? No

Section D. ACCESS, AWARENESS & RISK

D1. Access

  • Right to Roam access.
  • Panel is on Private land.

D2. Awareness

  • No selection
There are stories or folk traditions associated with this panel No

D3. Risk

Natural
  • Large areas of the rock are covered in lichen, moss or algae.
  • There are shrubs growing on the rock surface.
Animal
  • There are sheep near the rock.
  • There are cattle near the rock.
Human
  • No selection
Comments and other potential threats

No comments added