Description

The monument, much of which has been excavated and reconstructed, comprises the remains of two stone circles (with timber predecessor) and later burial cairns. The earliest phase of activity is represented in the NE by a timber setting of at least 6 posts (now marked by circular concrete markers); this was later replaced (in about 3000 bc) by a setting of at least 5 stones on the same spot (rectangular markers), although this may never have been completed. This circle was dismantled in prehistory and covered by a layer of cobbles. The SW circle (actually ovoid on plan) is now the main feature of the site and originally consisted of 22 uprights up to 1.6m high. Two of the stones have carvings on them; one has double spirals (reminiscent of Irish Passage Grave Art) on two faces. Another stone was reused to fashion an incomplete millstone. Two small kerbed cairns with inhumation burials were erected outside the circle on the NE and W. Inside the circle were further burials, including two adjacent kerbed cairns with cremations. Smaller orthostats were subsequently used to fill gaps in the surrounding circle forming a revetment for a larger cairn which covered the earlier cairns. The area to be scheduled measures 130m from NE to SW by up to 40m transversely to include the stone circles and cairns and an area around in which associated remains may survive.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because it represents the remains of important Bronze Age field monuments, albeit largely reconstructed, which retain well'defined field characteristics. The stone circles, of which these are the only two in the area, are part of a larger Neolithic and Bronze Age 'ritual landscape' in Kilmartin Valley which includes nearby stone settings, a chambered cairn and a Bronze Age linear cemetery. This monument therefore continues to have the potential to provide information about Bronze Age ritual and funerary practice and to contribute to a wider understanding of the development of Neolithic and Bronze Age society.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

The monument is RCAHMS number NR 89 SW 71 and is number 228 in the RCAHMS Inventory for Mid Argyll, published in 1984.
Historic Environment Scotland Properties
Temple Wood Stone Circles
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/kilmartin-glen-temple-wood-stone-circle
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland