Neolithic stone circles damaged by vandals on bleak Arran moor
THEY have survived on the site for thousands of years, withstanding everything the elements can throw at them.
Now an investigation has been launched after graffiti was found carved into legally protected ancient standing stones on Arran.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said it is “concerned” after staff found the markings on a visit to monitor the condition of the Machrie Moor standing stones on Arran.
The heritage body said it was working with Police Scotland to deal with the incident.
HES said: “On a recent visit, we were concerned to discover that one stone has been damaged by incised [carved] graffiti. As well as being a Property in the Care of Ministers, the standing stones are also designated as a scheduled monument.
“This means they are legally protected and damage to them is a criminal offence.
“This is not the first time this has occurred at Machrie Moor and we will once again be working with Police Scotland to investigate.
“Heritage crime can cause damage that can never be repaired and forces us to spend less resources on important conservation work.”
People have been present in this part of Arran for up to 8,000 years, and for the last 6,000 of those years they have been living in ways that have left a physical imprint on the landscape around them.
It has been described as a “fascinating and at times puzzling” landscape in which people lived, farmed, and apparently expended a vast amount of effort creating sites where ritual activity could take place.
The stones are situated in one of the largest areas of reasonably level ground on Arran, in a broad triangle to the south of the Machrie Water as it makes its way to the sea a little south of mid way down the island’s west coast.
It is said that the standing stones were part of a “rich archaeological landscape” of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments that are well-preserved.
They were associated with religious activities dating back around 4,500 years. Cremation and burials were placed in the circles, long after they were first built.
Six stone circles are visible on the moor immediately east of the derelict Moss Farm. Some circles are formed from granite boulders, while others are built from tall red sandstone pillars.
The moor is covered with other prehistoric remains, including standing stones, burial cairns and cists.
Excavations have shown that earlier timber monuments underlie those visible on the surface and experts believe it is very likely that there are many other remains beneath and between the visible sites.
Evidence of burials and cremations were discovered accompanied by a variety of grave goods such as food vessels, flint tools and pieces of worked pitchstone.
Excavations over 1985-86 demonstrated that elaborate timber circles put up around 2300 BC preceded two of the stone circles by around 500 years.
In its assessment of significance,
HES said: “The stone circles of Machrie Moor are a well-known archaeological feature and are prominent in many national guidebooks and websites.
“Although the circles are visually impressive, they are part of a wider archaeological landscape that contains a wide variety of ritual sites and settlement remains.
“The stone circles, and their timber predecessors, show that the inhabitants of Arran had contacts with the wider world as they engaged fully in the ritual practices found throughout late Neolithic Britain.”
The stone circles were recorded in 1861 by James Bryce and numbered one to five. Five other monuments in the area were numbered six to 10, and when subsequently a further stone circle was discovered almost completely submerged in peat in 1978, it was numbered Machrie Moor 11.
Heritage crime can cause damage that can never be repaired and forces us to spend less resources on important conservation work