Kilmartin Glen

Kilmartin Glen is an area in the the county of Argyll containing the most important concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in mainland Scotland. Monuments include standing stones, cairns, carved stones, among others. Over 5,000 years of human history has been preserved in this iconic landscape. There are numerous ancient monuments within a six-mile radius of the village of Kilmartin, with 150 monuments being prehistoric.

NETHER LARGIE STANDING STONES

The Nether Largie Standing Stones are a group of five large stones arranged to form the letter X. They are aligned on an approximately North East to South West axis. It's not clear why the stones were placed there. The most accepted theory is that the stones together form a lunar observatory, which marks where the moon will rise and set at certain points in its cycle. If this is the case, evidence suggests that the lunar observatory was built about 3,200 years ago.



CAIRNBAAN CUP AND RING MARKS

Cairnbaan Cup and Ring Marks are mysterious prehistoric stones containing carvings that date back 5000 years. The carvings are abstract and contain no animal or human figures, just cup and ring marks. Nobody really knows the meaning of these carvings but some people believe that they could be messages from the Neolithic inhabitants of Kilmartin Glen.


SOLAR AND LUNAR DIAL

The Solar and Lunar Dial is an intriguing carved stone located near Kilmartin Church. The shadow in the cup reads the ascent and the declination of the sun daily and yearly. It also reads the passages of the moon.



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