Rock Art Intermission #1 - Cup-and-Ring Markings at Ormaig

[endlessrarities]

I deliberated on whether I should dive straight into the Bronze Age linear cemetery at Kilmartin or not, and decided against it.  I thought I'd pause instead to introduce you to the prehistoric rock art of the area.  Some of you - living in Northumbria and Wales in particular - will be familiar with the cup-markings and cup-and-ring markings which

Comments

[kimberlywade]

Oh,yes, love rock art! Thanks for sharing.

[endlessrarities]

You ain't seen nothing yet!!! Wait till you see Cairnbaan!!

[kimberlywade]

Ooo, coming soon?

[endlessrarities]

Hopefully! There may be some Bronze Age burial monument diversions, but the boundaries are blurred, anyway.

[bunn]

Wow, those are some fancy cupmarks!

Haven't I seen cupmarks on Dartmoor? I thought I had!

[endlessrarities]

I think you've quite possibly seen cupmarks on Dartmoor. It doesn't jump out at me as a hotbed of cupmark production, but... Dartmoor seems like it should be perfect cupmarked rock country!

[endlessrarities]

Oh dear. There are some very nice cupmarked rocks in Northumbria... I saw a very handsome set once, including a square marking, which I've never seen elsewhere.

Yeah, those markings are pretty weird. Spirals and multiple rings I'm familiar with, but these weird multiple cupmark within ring markings are just plain odd.

[basefinder]

Very interesting! I've never seen anything like that.

[endlessrarities]

A lot of continental prehistoric rock art tends to be figurative - horses and warriors, etc. But not this stuff!

[aulus_poliutos]

It was the aliens, of course. :-D

That way with the fallen trees looks like some I've walked in the Harz. And Kilmartin Glen is lovely; I've been there in 2009.

[endlessrarities]

Yeah, that weird multiple cupmark within ring number just has to be a prehistoric UFO of the 'flying hubcap' variety.

You'll have dropped by Carnasserie, then? It'd be just perfect for your castle quest...

[aulus_poliutos]

No, didn't manage to get that in, but I visited Dunstaffnage Castle, and got a glimpse of Kilchurn and Dunollie. And I went to Iona, of course.

Inveraray, too, but that one's more 'modern'.

[aulus_poliutos]

Oh, I forgot Duart Castle.