Rock Art Database

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Section A. CORE INFORMATION

A1. Identifiers

Classifications And Periods

County

ARGYLL

A2. Grid Reference(original find site)

A3. Current Location & Provenance

Section B. CONTEXT

B1. Landscape Context

B2. Current land use & vegetation

• Improved Pasture

B3. Forestry

• No selection

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

• No selection

B5. Location Notes

Motifs have been carved into a large outcrop of schist within undulating, grassy terrain in use as rough sheep grazing at the time of survey. Immediately to the west, approximately 10 m distance, the outcrop overlooks the main A816 road which runs through Kilmartin Glen from north to south. To the north-east of the panel, approximately 100 m distance, the Craigenterve Mohr farm house is clearly visible. Electricity cables, poles, and a fence run parallel to and sit between the outcrop and the road. The fields at this location are partially enclosed by steeply sloping hills (Creag Bhreac to the south, Am Barr to the east). To the east the entrance to the glen between these two hills, which follows the B 840 road, is visible. The motifs on the outcrop have been designated as a scheduled monument and are considered of national importance.

Previous Notes

NM80SW 3 8437 0124. NM 844 013. Cup marked Rock, Creagantairbh Old Mill: A schist outcrop, just E of the main road and N of the farm track, bears cup marks, the carved area being marked by a small erratic boulder perched on top of the outcrop. Only a part of the rock has been stripped of turf, revealing cup marks on two levels of rock, over 20 on the S section, and 10 on the N. Though Campbell (1963) mentions "ovals and possible footprints", Morris (information contained in Ms by R W B Morris, 1966) considers them to be dumb-bells, or sets of closely-spaced cups. M Campbell 1963; M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964. The cup marked rock, generally as described, was located at NM 8436 0125. The illustration, which is rather confusing, does not appear to match the site. Surveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (R D) 12 October 1971. These markings are situated on the level top of a rock-sheet 15m E of the public road; at the S end of the exposure there is an erratic boulder and, on the W, turf has grown over part of the worked surface. The decoration comprises twelve cups with single rings, at least 134 plain cupmarks (some with gutters) and, at the NE end, an unusual group of grooves, some of which form irregular enclosures. It is unlikely that any of these were designed to represent the impression of a foot or shoe, as suggested (supra). A deep mark at the NE angle of the outcrop is probably modern. Visited June 1985. RCAHMS 1988a. Stripping turf at this site shows that the decoration comprises: 130 cups (7 with one ring) a 3rd panel contains 38 cups (1 with 1 ring, and 2 being linked by a runnel); a 4th panel with 61 cups (2 being large and shallow and 1 having 1 ring around it); a 5th panel, (nearest to the fence and road) has 47 cups (plus a rounded cruciform pecked-shape). A 5-panel total of 326 cups (15 having 1 ring) more than double the previous known site total. All turf was carefully replaced. K Naddair, F Brown, J Tindal and L Lees. NM 84354 01271 Site identified during a field survey carried out by GUARD in 2003. A structure to the south-west of the Corn Mill, depicted as partly roofed on the 1st edition map. This structure consists of three rectangular rooms, one at right angles to the other two, forming an L-shape. Heather F James, 2003 (RCAHMS MS 2371, no.25)

Section C. PANEL

C1. Panel Type

C2. Panel Dimensions, Slope & Orientation

C3. Rock Surface

C4. Surface Features

• Fissures/cracks

C5. Panel Notes

This large outcrop of rock is mostly flat, with a gently sloping area at the southern end. Perched above the southern end of the upper, flat surface of the outcrop is an upstanding, dome-shaped boulder. An area of just under 8 m long and 6 m wide was uncovered (although the motifs could continue further under the deeper turf) to reveal two areas of dense carvings. During the cleaning process, several small rounded stones and pieces of quartz were found across the carved surface. These were reburied, along with three pieces of a broken iron object (likely thought to be a broken ploughshare) recovered from the northern section of the panel, when re-covered after recording. The rusting iron pieces were removed from the surface of the outcrop to prevent any avoidable damage to the rock surface. The panel is decorated with dense clusters of motifs which appear to overlie, compliment and sit within the natural, geological fissures across the surface of the outcrop. A total of 123 single cupmarks, five courgettes, six cup and single rings, two double cup marks, eight grooves (six of which are clustered together to make an unusual pattern), 1 cup and ring with a tail from the central cup, and two cup and rings with a tail from the ring were identified across the exposed area. The motifs are only found on the flat upper surface, and do not extend on to the sloped section at the southern end. The final count was taken from the photogrammetric model made from numerous photographs taken in the field. The outcrop was carefully recovered with turf and moss after recording was complete.

C6. Probability

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

Comments

This panel is a scheduled monument and has numerous and various types of motifs carved on to it.

C7. MOTIFS

Visible Tool Marks? No

Visible Peck Marks? No

Section D. ACCESS, AWARENESS & RISK

D1. Access

• Right to Roam access.
• Panel is on Private land.
• Access is managed by a national organisation.

D2. Awareness

• This panel is known to others in the local community.

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.
• Water will pool deeply on parts of the surface.

Animal

• There are sheep near the rock.

Human

• The rock is located on/nearby a path or place where people might walk.

Comments and other potential threats

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