Description

The monument comprises two standing stones. The monument is likely to date from the Neolithic or Bronze Age (late third or second millennium BC). It is situated on level ground on the Tummel Valley at around 60m above sea level.

The two standing stones are aligned east-west. The eastern stone is approximately 2.1m high and the western stone is approximately 1.8m high. The stones are situated about 3m apart. There is evidence that the western stone has been re-set and early 20th century descriptions and sketches show the stones on a north-south alignment with the tallest stone to the north. The stones may originally have formed part of a larger alignment or been part of a stone circle.

The scheduled area is sub-rectangular on plan to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling specifically excludes the above-ground elements of the post-and-wire fence running south and east of the standing stones. The monument was originally scheduled in 1964, but the documentation did not adequately cover the archaeological remains: the present amendment rectifies this.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because it has inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, in particular the design and development of prehistoric burial and ritual monuments. It can inform our understanding of prehistoric land-use, social organisation and belief systems, including funerary and burial rites. There is potential for the survival of important archaeological deposits beneath and around the standing stones, including human remains or other deposits relating to ritual and funerary activities, together with artefacts and palaeoenvironmental evidence, such as charcoal or pollen. The loss of this monument would impede our ability to understand the nature of prehistoric belief and ceremony and the placing and function of ritual monuments within the landscape.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/canmore.html CANMORE ID 27109.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland