Summary

Two rock art panels bearing numerous cup marks, of Neolithic/early Bronze Age date.

Source: Historic England

Details

Both panels are earth-fast sandstone boulders and are situated in an area of unmanaged grassland and lie adjacent to each other. They are located about 95m south west of the westernmost of a group of three scheduled Bronze Age round cairns (National Heritage List entries 1008420-1008422) and immediately east of a possible stone-lined cist. The first and most northerly panel (ERA 1415) is roughly triangular in shape and dips steeply into the ground from an uncovered high point on its south edge; it is about 0.8m by 0.5m and is oriented east to west. There are about thirty cup marks scattered across the boulder and some appear to form slightly curved or straight lines. The second panel (ERA 1414) lies immediately to the south of the first, and is a rounded boulder about 0.9m across. there are more than fifty cup marks, again some forming prominent lines, curved arcs or more scattered groups; the latter are particularly clustered on the south and west sides. It is possible that the panels represent a broken, decorated cist cover.

Extent of scheduling: a circle with a diameter of 5m in order to include a sample of the archaeologically sensitive surrounding ground. A third recorded rock art panel (ERA 1416) lies within the scheduling boundary of the easternmost of the three scheduled round cairns (Round cairn 1.1km west of Middle House, National Heritage List entry 1008420) and is therefore already scheduled.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The prehistoric rock art west of Middle House is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Survival: despite susceptibility to natural weathering, it is reasonably well preserved with the survival of large numbers of relatively well-defined motifs;
* Documentation: ritual and religious sites of Prehistoric Britain are without contemporary documentation and hence the value of the archaeological remains as our only evidence of their belief systems is enhanced;
* Diversity: these panels displays a complex arrangement of individual cup marks scattered across their surfaces, some appearing to form curved or straight lines; the focus on this individual motif at the expense of a wider variety of motifs is unusual and contributes to their importance;
* Potential: it will inform our knowledge of prehistoric society through individual study of its motifs and carving style, and through an increased understanding of the circumstances in which rock art was created and used;
* Group value: taken together with the three scheduled Bronze Age round cairns in the immediate vicinity, it will enhance our understanding of wider Bronze Age ritual and funerary practice.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Mazel, et al (eds), Art as Metaphor: The Prehistoric Rock-Art of Britain, (2007)
Websites
, accessed from http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/era/section/access/results.jsf

Source: Historic England