Description

The monument comprises a burial cairn of probable Bronze-Age date. It survives as a low, grass-covered earth and stone mound with a slight central depression. The cairn sits in open, rolling pasture at 145m above sea level and is located on a gentle, S-facing escarpment approximately 5km to the north of the River Don.

The cairn measures approximately 6m in diameter at its widest and is less than 0.5m in height. It is circular in plan and the mound that defines its extent appears to have been reduced, possibly by the removal of some of its loose stone structural material.

The area to be scheduled is circular on plan, centred on the cairn, to include the remains described and an area around within which evidence relating to their construction and use may survive, 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

This cairn survives with its structural detail intact, despite its low profile. It is likely to seal a central burial or burials and may overlie a prehistoric land surface containing environmental evidence. It therefore has the potential to tell us about the architecture of burial monuments, the practice of burial and commemoration of the dead, aspects of the local environment, and when the cairn was constructed.

Contextual characteristics

The cairn belongs to a numerous and common group of prehistoric monuments seen across Scotland. It is a small example of its class, one of nearly 200 examples in the Strathdon area, and is a key component of the extensive Bronze-Age use of this landscape. The River Don is a central feature in this exploitation and the extensive views from the cairn along the river suggest that its placement here may have been deliberate. The cairn can therefore help us understand more about prehistoric burial along the higher side margins of river systems such as Strathdon, and the wider exploitation of land by Bronze-Age communities.

National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, in particular prehistoric burial architecture and the deliberate positioning of monuments commemorating the dead in relation to natural features, and the views to and from them. The loss of the monument would impede our ability to understand the nature of prehistoric activity in this part of Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NJ82SW 117.

References:

RCAHMS 2007, IN THE SHADOW OF BENNACHIE: THE FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY OF DONSIDE, ABERDEENSHIRE, Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland