The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Fieldnotes by tiompan

Latest Posts
Previous 20 | Showing 21-40 of 244 fieldnotes. Most recent first | Next 20

Dolmen Lamalou

The Lamalou dolmen is one of small group of very similar monuments on the Causse de l'Hortus .They all have square or trapezoidal chambers , an adjoining ante chamber ,which tends to be smaller ,a long passage , indented slabs at entrances , dry stone walling and large cairns . The orientations are similar ,between 246 -256 degrees but the declinations are all quite different with nothing astro or landscapewise in common .Despite the presence of small but prominent hills on their horizons e.g. Pic St Loup etc , they are avoided .

Cromlech de Lacam de Peyrarines (Cromlech (France and Brittany))

At over 625 m above sea level it’s much higher than any UK stone circle and has a diameter close to that of Brodgar ,only Avebury and Stanton Drew are greater in diameter . So not a bijou upland stone circle .
What looks like portal stones ,might be considered to be due to the gaps around them , but they are the only two stones that are actually closer to the central stone , so there is a case for them being seen as portals . The rest maintain quite a regular radius .
Worth mentioning a prominent rock to the south east , it’s framed by the portal stones but not in their frame when viewed from the central stone .Of the three options centre stone to rock , centre of portals to rock and centre stone through portal stones the first is close enough to be considered a winter solstice sunrise alignment .with the last a long way off .

Remain Rock (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

I’m not much of a fan of moderns imposing names on monuments or features , it detracts and only tells of the thinking of the namer . But this one is only one of many and probably won’t be visited too often . So a small dedication to a cause . When passing in the future it will either signify relief and the slaying of dragons or a sense of waste .I’m hoping and expecting the former .
The important stuff: 21 cups on the section in the pics , a couple of metres away are another 11 but they proved almost impossible to capture .
p.s. It was found on the day of the vote .

Black Burn (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

Two new finds from yesterday taking the total; for this relatively small area to 35 .
One , the last three pics , looks like it may have a pyramidical 1-2-3 cups at it's " pointy bit " ,but there is another less obvious one just below the line of three .
Plus two pics of old finds that benefited from the good light .

Drumcharry (Cup Marked Stone)

Whilst going for better pics , of a find from a couple of years ago , found another unrecorded marked rock less than mile to the east . Unusually it had a dumb bell i.e. two cups joined by a groove .They tend to be found singly or in groups with other cups ,but this one only had another cup on the surface . Have compared it with a more typical example on the earlier find .

Braco (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

A new find from a couple of weeks ago .
Had to revisit to get a decent pic .
Not particularly ornate but a fair illustration of the impact of different lighting conditions .
The pic on the far right was from the dull day of the find .

Plos de Bafignac (Cup Marked Stone)

The Aude is not exactly famed for it’s rock art so on a visit to the Ventajous dolmen a few months ago ,I was more than pleasantly surprised to discover some .I I had noticed a rock among the trees that would have meant instant investigation in Blighty ,but not here , but I decided to have look anyway and couldn’t believe the result . Further searching in a sq Km of the dolmen resulted in four separate groups of marked rocks . Part of the explanation may be that the immediate area is not Limestone which covers most of the region .
Pics are not great water was in short supply and light in the trees was not ideal . The main distinguishing features were quite large cups often with connecting grooves and no rings .

Lundin (Cup Marked Stone)

The main rock ,as noted in http://canmore.org.uk/event/678047 was discovered in 1966 , what went unnoticed is the rock 1 metre away with 8 small cups ,not quite as obvious as the main rock but surprising it wasn’t noticed .
Btw the local pronunciation of U is often 'oo ' so Loondin not Lundin , Cooltoolich not Cultulich etc .

non rock art

There has been a mention of a splendid example of recently discovered prehistoric rock art near Barrhead , just outside Glasgow ,so I went to have a look .
It is rock art so probabaly not quite right for this section , it is however not prehistoric .
Quite a few giveaway signs , mainly the differential colouring of the incised areas and the rock surface .If the surface had ben previously covered or exposed the incised areas and the rock surface would have had similar colouring but there is quite a difference , just as we find when rocks are recently engraved .
The markings are very fresh but with no signs of any pick markings , from the stone tools that we might expect to have been used to engrave them ,instead the incised areas are very smooth unlike the natural smoothness found after millenia of exposure . The cups are just not like real cups the edges are too well defined and the cups too shallow , this may sound like special pleading but anyone who has seen genuine cups in all their varieties will know what I mean. Finally the site is at a junction of three paths ,complete with a signpost ,thousands of people will have walked over it and past it , it's evry unlikley to gave gone unnoticed . I have found examples of genuine rock close by paths but nothing as obvious as this ,you can even see the markings from some distance away . So yes it is rock art but probably engraved in the past couple of years .

Correchrevie (Cairn(s))

About 500 metres northeast of the cairn
http://canmore.org.uk/site/295414/corriecrevie

Bog (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

A collection of new motifs uncovered today .

Glengoulandie (Cup Marked Stone)

Couple of brocken spectres from the area .

Coilleaichur (Enclosure)

Pity about the use of the R word in the site description .
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/25634/details/urlar/

Pity about the pics too ,weather was freezing and dull . With these trees so close no sun throughout most of the winter .

Looks just like a double walled hut circle .

Birnam Hill (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

Despite a number of visits at different times of day/year it has always been difficult to get decent images of the worn motifs . Some from yesterday weren't too bad .

Cloanlawers (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

New find from yesterday . Light was failing so pics not too clear .

Bog (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

Interesting new panel from today ,some typical rock art that includes what could be a "footprint " but also a millstone which obviously could date from much later . Sorry can't give proper grid ref yet , hence Bog etc.

Broughmore Wood (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

Two new panels discovered a couple of days ago 100 metres west of previouly recorded panel .

Badyo (Cup Marked Stone)

Not much better , but slightly clearer than original pics from first discovery a decade ago . Not from the period but the cross incised stone is three hundred metres away .

Lurgan (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

Most photogenic , despite poor light ,of some new finds from last week .64 cups .

Glen Tarken (Cup Marked Stone)

Slightly clearer view of find from 2009 and the most photogenic (eventually ) of three new finds from yesterday .
Previous 20 | Showing 21-40 of 244 fieldnotes. Most recent first | Next 20

My TMA Content: