Rock Art Database

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Section A. CORE INFORMATION

A1. Identifiers

Classifications And Periods

County

PERTHSHIRE

A2. Grid Reference(original find site)

A3. Current Location & Provenance

Section B. CONTEXT

B1. Landscape Context

B2. Current land use & vegetation

• Wood/Forest

B3. Forestry

• Felled
• New Plantation

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

• Field System

B5. Location Notes

Situated in the large area of forest to the S of Killin, this stone lies in an extensive area of cleared forest, which has been replanted. The stone sits near the crest of a rise that the replanting seems to have deliberately avoided. Itcommands an extensive all-round view, especially to Sgiath Chuill overlooking the N side of Glen Dochart, and to the N: the Tarmachan ridge and Ben Lawers. C G Cash, 1912 (see previous notes) states that the remains of a croft could be plainly seen then. This is not so obvious now but the ruined walls of the adjacent enclosed fields are still substantial in places (HER/SMR 63736). The Airgid burn is about 80m to the E. The site can be accessed from the recently made forest track that runs from the S Loch Tay road and is shown only on the 1:10,000 OS map. There is a path leading off almost at the end of this track at NN 57940 31764 that passes close to the panel, which is up to the right of a small electric cable marker.

Previous Notes

NN53SE 19 5785 3179. A slab of slate, 6' x 4'3" x 1'9" thick, lying horizontally, has on its upper surface eight cups and a basin-shaped cavity; it is half a mile S of the bridge over the Dochart, up the hillside towards the shooting range (NN 5731), 500' OD. J R Allen 1882; C G Cash 1912 NN 5785 3179. This cup marked stone is as described and illustrated by Allen. The large hole is almost certainly a mortar or "knocking stone" contemporary with the nearby ruined croft. Surveyed at 1:10,000. Visited by OS (JP) 11 September 1975 NS 578 317 A boulder bearing cup-marks. RCAHMS 1979; J R Allen 1882; C G Cash 1912

Section C. PANEL

C1. Panel Type

C2. Panel Dimensions, Slope & Orientation

C3. Rock Surface

C4. Surface Features

• Fissures/cracks
• Natural Hollows
• Smooth Surface

C5. Panel Notes

A roughly rectangular slab of rock of relatively even thickness, now buried in the earth. Probably metamorphic (although this lies within an area where the bedrock is the Loch Tay limestone) and tending towards a slatey appearance, although without distinct cleavage planes. The slab has a very obvious bowl half way across its long axis and about one third of the way from its SE edge. This has been recorded as a 'knockin' stane' and possibly represents a more recent re-use of this prehistoric stone. The bowl itself is quite circular and is 25cm wide x 12cm deep. It has a distinctive rounded and elongated quartzite inclusion running up to the NE edge of its rim. The cups are clustered roughly in the NW quadrant of the panel. There are 7 definite cups: 2 are about 6 x 1.5cm and the other 5 smaller and shallower at around 5 x 0.5cm. There is also a central row of 3 further possible cups linking a fractured path running W to E. These 3 are evenly spread over a length of about 30cm, with the W-most one being most fractured and connected to the central depression by a straight groove which may not be natural. To the NW of the cluster of cups, there is an area of possible peck marks. Additional motifs identified from 3D model: The model shows a clear diagonal shelving of the rock NW to SE. The lower part of the surface includes the bowl of the knocking stone. It appears that the creation and continued use of the bowl may have caused the surrounding surface to crack off leaving a lower shelf. The shelf intersects possible cup marks and it may be that the rock was covered with many other marks that came away from the original surface due to re-use of the rock as a knocking stone.

C6. Probability

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

Comments

7 definite cup marks and 3 further possible ones, 2 of which may be connected by an artificial groove (one of these is much collapsed if genuine) plus a discrete area of peck marking.

C7. MOTIFS

Visible Tool Marks? No

Visible Peck Marks? Yes

Section D. ACCESS, AWARENESS & RISK

D1. Access

• Right to Roam access.

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.

Animal

Human

• No selection

Comments and other potential threats

The rock is in a felled area now replanted. The planting has avoided the knoll on which the rock sits and there is a flimsy post adjacent to it, which may well have marked it as a site to be avoided by the forestry operations. The forest is managed by Tilhill forestry and one of their gamekeepers was encountered on the field visit, who seemed to be aware of the stone. Other than moss regrowth and further weathering there appears to be no apparent hazard to the stone.