Description

The monument comprises the remains of a later prehistoric hut circle. It survives as an interrupted circular setting of loose stones, sealed and obscured by turf and rough grass. The monument is located around 200m above sea level, on a small platform with good all-round visibility at the foot of Craigour Hill's N side.

The hut circle measures 6m in diameter with its circular wall surviving as two or three courses, approximately 1.5m thick. The interior was relatively flat and a break in the wall in its ENE section suggests the position of the single entrance. A low bank sits to the immediate north-east of the monument and this may be the remains of contemporary outworks or an associated enclosure.

The area to be scheduled is circular on plan, centred on the hut circle, to include the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to be found, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

Cultural Significance

The monument's cultural significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics

The monument retains several of its key structural elements including the circular arrangement of drystone walling, a single entrance and possible outerworks to its immediate NE. It has the potential to tell us more about the nature of prehistoric life in this part of Scotland and the style and techniques of domestic architecture. The monument is likely to seal deposits that can tell us more about the environment when the hut circle was built and in use.

Contextual characteristics

The monument is a good representative of a once common class of monument, a circular house broadly dating to the later prehistoric period. It is part of a widespread distribution most commonly found among the uplands of Scotland. Survival on lower ground, as here, is less common to due to later agriculture and development. This site therefore has the potential to tell us about settlement and domestic activity in the lower reaches of Strathdon and Deeside. Comparing this to other examples will help develop an understanding of regional architectures, identities and differing lifestyles and economies. The proximity of this monument to other surviving hut circles suggests a relationship between the people who lived and worked here with their farming neighbours.

National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to the understanding of the past, in particular later prehistoric society, agricultural and domestic practices. This potential is enhanced by a good state of preservation and the survival of marked field characteristics. The loss of this monument would impede our ability to understand the later prehistory of this part of Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the monument as NJ60NE 110. It is recorded in the Aberdeenshire SMR record this site as NJ60NE0056.

References:

RCAHMS 2007, IN THE SHADOW OF BENNACHIE: THE FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY OF DONSIDE, ABERDEENSHIRE, Edinburgh: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland