Up for the cupmarks

Some of us went to look for an ancient stone which has been in the (archaeological) news today.

It's thought to be the fallen capstone of a Neolithic portal dolmen burial chamber, another part of which appears to lie in the hedge close by. Excavations last year turned up a couple of (earlier) Mesolithic beads, parts of a Bronze Age cist, pottery shards, charcoal and human bone. It seems that this location was used over a long prehistoric period and was probably part of a landscape of ancient sites, many of which survive in the vicinity.

Of special interest are the 'cup marks' which are visible on the surface of the stone as circular depressions gouged or ground out by human hand. There are said to be 75 on this one boulder. This form of rock art can be found all over western Europe, the Mediterranean area, and even in Mexico, India and Brazil, sometimes in a more elaborate form. Their meaning is not known. When archaeologists are faced with something of which the purpose is not clear, it's usually described as being 'probably of ritual significance' but hypotheses suggest the hollows may represent some sort of code, a pre-literate form of calculation, a map or star chart, a method of divination, some sort of medical treatment or a way of harnessing the earth's energy. Naturally enough they have attracted a rich array of folklore beliefs too. We'll probably never know the real meaning.

Here's a burial chamber or dolmen that I blipped earlier which shows what may once have stood here.