Maarten van Hoek The Geography of Cup-and-Ring ... - StoneWatch

example occurs at Gargamala 7J, Galicia, Spain (Fig. 136), where
unfortunately a cup-and-ring was
partially damaged by superficial
quarrying or perhaps by the fire
that ravaged the area recently
(Van Hoek 1998: 98).
But it is not always that obvious
that quarrying activities date from
the historical Period. At Poltalloch
1 in Argyll, Scotland, petroglyphs
have clearly been damaged by
quarrying, although it is uncertain
when this happened. Also the
broken off decoration of the big
rock at Lordenshaw (Fig. 137) has a
deceptively ancient appearance.
In prehistoric times, stone was the
only enduring material with which
all sorts of structures were built.
One used for instance small
cobbles from a river or large
FIG. 136: GARGAMALA 7J.
erratic boulders to build cairns and
stone circles. Stones necessary for a more specific purpose, such as
slabs used in the impressive megalithic monuments of the Neolithic
period or for the more simple Bronze Age cists, had either to be taken
from earlier structures or were quarried from outcrop rock or suitable
large boulders. These stones were
often shaped to fit specific
requirements and if petroglyphs were
present, these could easily have been
damaged in the process.
Damaged petroglyphs therefore may
also point to prehistoric activity and it
will be no surprise that many stones in
Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments,
especially in Britain, show such broken
off engravings, like the hidden
engravings on one of the vertical side
slabs of the Fulforth cist in northern
England (Fig 138). These engraved
stones could have been broken from
another decorated slab, once
incorporated in another prehistoric
monument, or have been quarried from
FIG. 137: LORDENSHAW.
outcrop rock.
M. van HOEK: 171
GEOGRAPHY