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

stones bears one possible single cupmark. Astronomical lines have been
reported to use these stones (Thom 1967: 97).
* 1.2.1.1.4 About 4 km further north is the compact group of
monuments at Ballymeanoch (M on Fig. 4) comprising six burials (two in
a henge) and seven menhirs, six still standing. All stones probably have
been quarried from local (decorated) outcrop rock, although there are
indications that these seven stones have not been erected all at the
same time as three of the stones in the row of four are distinctly
graded in height and exactly in line whereas the fourth is out of line
some distance to the north and does not continue the grading.
Professor Thom (1967: 97) found lines on the sun, moon and stars
within this complex, which is called Duncracaig by him. Three menhirs,
one shamefully broken in three
pieces recently, bear decoration in
the form of cupules, some with a
single ring. The tallest decorated
stone (in a row of four) has
petroglyphs almost from near its top
at 3.6 m to 20 cm below ground
level. Its much flatter west face has
not a single decoration. This may
indicate that the slab was quarried
from a decorated outcrop. The
neighbouring stone in the row has
similar decoration on its west face,
also featuring a cupmarked groove
which runs to the left hand side of
the stone. Together with the broken
character of the left hand side of
the stone (Fig. 7) this gives the
impression that the stone was taken
from a decorated outcrop.
* 1.2.1.1.5 Most important in
the valley is the northernmost group
FIG. 7: BALLYMEANOCH.
of menhirs, at Nether Largie (N on
Fig. 4). Not only several astronomical alignments using the menhirs
have been established, but it also proves that burials from the
Neolithic and particularly from the Bronze Age have deliberately been
placed on lines through these menhirs (Haddow, Hannay & Tait: 1974).
The complex at Nether Largie (Fig. 8) comprises seven, possibly eight,
menhirs, which are not necessarily contemporary. Five menhirs form a
sort of elongated “X” configuration (Fig. 9), while menhir 6 is found
108 m to the NW. In 1973 a piece of menhir 7 was found under the turf
west of the “X” (Ibid. 1974). Possibly another large menhir once stood
in the “X”-configuration, just SW of menhir 3. Both menhir 3 and the
M. van HOEK: 14
GEOGRAPHY