Description

The monument comprises a prehistoric burial cairn visible as a circular grassy mound surrounded by a ditch and outer bank. It is likely to date to the Bronze Age. The monument is located on a ridge aligned from NE to SW at 220m OD, on a mixture of cultivated land and pasture.

The site comprises a central circular grassy mound, 4.5m in diameter, ringed by a shallow ditch of 3m wide. The ditch is ringed by an earth bank 3m wide. The northern section of the monument is crossed by a modern field boundary.

The area to be scheduled is circular on plan, centred on the middle of the cairn, to include the cairn and an area around in which evidence for its construction and use may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map. The above-ground elements of the existing post and wire fence running approximately WSW to ESE across the monument are specifically excluded from the scheduling, to allow for their routine management.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

Cultural Significance

The monument's archaeological significance can be expressed under the following headings:

Intrinsic characteristics: The monument is a well-preserved archaeological site. As an unexcavated site, it has the potential to provide high quality archaeological evidence of the funerary and religious practices of the Bronze Age.

Contextual characteristics: The site is a relatively unusual example of a burial cairn, most examples in Scotland being simple single mound cairns. The prominent position of the monument on a ridge line is crucial to the understanding of the monument in the landscape.

Associative characteristics: The monument is the product of prehistoric peoples during the Bronze Age and demonstrates their funerary and religious practices.

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 the funerary and religious practices of Bronze Age peoples in Scotland. This potential is enhanced by its relatively good preservation, relatively unusual plan and setting. The loss of this example would affect our ability to understand the Bronze Age in Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the monument as NJ41SW 41. It is recorded in the Aberdeenshire SMR as NJ41SW0022.

Aerial Photographs:

C80991PO 1992, Aerial view under snow.

C80992PO 1992. Aerial view under snow.

D57902 2000. Nether Towie. Cairn. View from NE.

D57903 2000. Nether Towie. Cairn. View from NE.

D57904 CN 2000. Nether Towie. Cairn. View from NE.

D57905 2000. Nether Towie. Cairn. View from NE.

D57906 CN 2000. Nether Towie. Cairn. View from NE.

D57907 2000. Nether Towie. Cairn. View from SW.

D57908 CN 2000. Nether Towie. Cairn. View from SW.

D57909 2000. Nether Towie. Cairn. View from SSW.

D57910 CN 2000. Nether Towie. Cairn. View from SSW.

AAS/92/10/G13/1-15, 1992. Aerial views under snow.

AAS/84/13/R27/10, 1984.

AAS/84/13/R27/8, 1984.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland