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| Canmore ID |
370781 |
SCRAP ID |
3400 |
| Location OS Grid Ref: |
NT 58160 74670
|
Team |
Not in team
|
|
Existing Classifications
|
None.
|
| Date Fieldwork Started |
23/10/2020 |
Date Fieldwork Completed |
|
| New Panel? |
Yes |
|
A1. Identifiers
| Panel Name |
TRAPRAIN |
Number |
1 |
| Other names |
|
| HER/SMR |
|
SM Number |
|
Other |
|
Classifications And Periods
| Classification 1 |
Cup Marked Stone |
Period 1 |
Neol/bronze Age |
County
EAST LOTHIAN
A2. Grid Reference(original find site)
| OS NGR |
|
|
|
| New OS NGR |
NT |
58160 |
74670 |
| Lat/Long |
55.9632 |
-2.67178 |
| Obtained By: |
GPS
|
A3. Current Location & Provenance
| Located |
|
| Accession no. |
Not given |
B1. Landscape Context
| Weather |
Sunny Intervals
|
| Position in landscape |
Top of hill |
| Topography(terrain within about 500m of panel.) |
Flat |
| Aspect of slope (if on sloping terrain e.g. S, SE etc.) |
|
B2. Current land use & vegetation
- Moorland
- Improved Pasture
- Rough Grazing
- Route way
- Conservation
B3. Forestry
B4. Archaeological Features within 200m / or visible from the panel
- Other rock art
- Settlement
- Dun
- Enclosure
- Ditch/Bank
- Hillfort
- Hut circle(s)
B5. Location Notes
The panel was found in October 2020 amongst numerous similar sized stones used to construct a hillwalker's shelter at the summit of Traprain Law. The stones for the shelter are likely to have been removed from a number of archeological features that have previously been recorded on the summit. The shelter is relatively modern (probably circa 1943) as it stands on the site of the previous OS Trig Point. The new OS Trig Point stands approximately 10m S of the shelter. The whole area of Traprain Law has been subject to numerous archaeological surveys with various finds recorded including prehistoric cup marked and cup and ring marked rocks.
C1. Panel Type
| In a structure |
Other context |
The panel in one of many stones making up a drystone Walker's Shelter on the previous site of an OS Trig Point which is now located 10m to the S. |
C2. Panel Dimensions, Slope & Orientation
Dimensions of panel (m to one decimal place)
| Length (longer axis) |
0.5 |
Width |
0.3 |
| Height (max) |
0.2 |
Height (min) |
0 |
Approximate slope of carved surface
Orientation (Aspect e.g. NW)
| Rock Surface |
|
Carved Surface |
|
Carved Surface |
|
C3. Rock Surface
| Surface Compactness |
Hard
|
Grain Size |
Medium
|
Visible Anomalies |
Not Visible
|
Rock Type |
Phonolite
|
C4. Surface Features
- Fissures/cracks
- Rough surface
C5. Panel Notes
The panel is an irregularly shaped phonolite stone measuring 0.47 x 0.33m and 0.16m thick, weighing approximately 20kg. It is similar in size to numerous other stones that make up the hillwalker's shelter. The stone has 1 large possible cupmark within a roughly circular area of the stone that is raised approximately 0.03m above the rest of the surface. The raised area gives the appearance of having a ring around it, although this is almost certainly a natural feature, but the central position of the cupmark within this raised area seems to be deliberate and gives it prominence. There appear to be peck marks in the ring although these may be natural features of this type of rock. There is some recent wear to the cupmark edges.
C6. Probability
The probability that there is any rock art on the panel is
Probable
Comments
The rock appears to have a cupmark that is in the raised centre of the rock surrounded by what appears to be a partial ring although this may be a natural feature. The cup itself appears to have a raised profile which has been recently worn and it may have been more prominent prior to the wear. There also appear to be peck marks although again these may be natural. Other rocks in the area of this type did not have natural depressions which adds to the probability that the cup mark was not natural and had been carved to make use of natural features of the rock.
C7. MOTIFS
Cupmark
|
|
1
|
Visible Tool Marks? No
Visible Peck Marks? Yes
D1. Access
- Right to Roam access.
- Panel is on Private land.
- There is and interpretation on site.
D2. Awareness
There are stories or folk traditions associated with this panel No
D3. Risk
Natural
Animal
Human
- There are quarries nearby.
- The rock is located on/nearby a path or place where people might walk.
- This panel has been estimated to be seriously at risk of being damaged or destroyed.
Comments and other potential threats
The panel is on one of numerous stones that have been used to construct a low drystone walker's shelter at the summit of the hill adjacent to the OS Trig Point. The wall of the shelter has to be climbed into over to enter the shelter as there is no entranceway. The panel already appears to have been moved when the shelter was rebuilt as there are obvious signs of recent wear on the cup marked surface. The stone could easily be moved again or damaged when climbed over. If the rock is not recovered from the site it is unlikely that it will be found again.
