Grampian - Prehistoric Sites
- Map of Prehistoric Sites in Grampian
- Map of ALL Prehistoric Sites in Scotland
- Map of all attractions in Grampian
Included in this category of our heritage guide to Grampian are Pictish carved stones and crosses - one of the most fascinating features of the Aberdeenshire and Moray region. Grampian is extraordinarily rich in 'ancient' sites, with numerous examples of cairns, burial mounds, and stone circles dotted about the landscape.
Why is the region so well-supplied with these ancient monuments? One simple answer is that Aberdeenshire and Moray were settled earlier and more densely than the Highland regions to the north and west. The sheer weight of numbers of ancient peoples resulted in much greater numbers of ancient sites that survive today.
Strichen Stone Circle is a recumbent stone circle in a farm field, once visited by Dr Johnson. The circle has been moved twice, then re-erected close to its original position. A cremated burial was found within the circle, and several pottery sherds.
Strichen, Grampian, Scotland
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Just outside Forres stands this amazing monument, which has been called the most remarkable sculptured monument in Britain. Sueno's Stone stands 20 ft (6.1m) high and is covered with intricate carvings. The stone dates to the late 9th or 10th century and it may have been intended as a cenotaph, or memorial to military dead.
Forres, Grampian, Scotland
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A large stone circle consisting of 11 standing stones and one recumbent stone. The circle is just under 27 metres in diameter. Within the circle is the remains of a cairn about 0.3 metres high and 7 metres diameter.
B9119, Echt, Grampian, Scotland
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The Tap O' Noth is a hill fort on the summit of the Hill of Noth, just above the village of Rhynie, in Aberdeenshire. The hill rises to 562 metres above sea level, making the Tap O' Noth fort the second-highest in all of Scotland.
Rhynie, Grampian, Scotland
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More of a rectangle than a stone circle, Templestone is of a type known as a 'four-poster'. There are four stones, arranged as the corners of a rectangle measuring about 3.4 by 2.7 metres (about 11 x 9 feet).
Rafford, Grampian, Scotland
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Tomnaverie is a fascinating stone circle - really a complex of circles - built around 2500 BCE. The first phase of building at Tomnaverie was the creation of a low platform of stone, with the height of the kerb increasing from one end to the other. It is possible that this platform was created to emphasize the silhouette of the site against the skyline. There was burning at the centre of the platform, so archaeologists think it may have been used as a funeral pyre.
Aboyne, Grampian, Scotland
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Outside the old ruined kirk of St Nathalan at Tullich is a worn Pictish stone carved with traditional Pictish symbols of a mirror, beast, double disc, and Z-rod. The stone can be found in a railed enclosure against the north wall of the church.
Tullich, Grampian, Scotland
Attraction Type: Prehistoric - Carved Stone
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The Raven Stone is a carved Pictish symbol stone, discovered in the foundations of the church at Kirkhill, Tyrie. The stone is carved with the figure of an eagle, below which is a rectangle and traditional Z-rod symbol.
Tyrie, Grampian, Scotland
Attraction Type: Prehistoric - Carved Stone
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Remains of a medium-sized cairn in a wooded plantation. The original cairn was just over 14 metres across and about three metres high. Many of the cairn stones have been removed, and some are in a heap to the east of the cairn.
Mintlaw, Grampian, Scotland
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Whitehill is a good example of a recumbent stone circle. That doesn't mean the stones are all fallen down; it refers to a large stone laid on its side at the southern side of the circle. The recumbent stone is flanked on either side by a large upright flanking stone. In the case of Whitehill, one of the flanking stones has fallen, as have several of the other stones arranged around a raised bank.
Tillyfourie, Monymusk, Grampian, Scotland
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