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

ocks themselves” (1997: 123). Later still, the apparent “urge” to
create intervisible sites diminished and it became more important to
establish major but isolated focal points, like Ballochmyle, the most
important site in these isles; Boheh and Mevagh in Ireland and the
Carschenna group in the Alps; all invisible from any other petroglyph
site. Let us return to the Kilmartin valley to consider the distribution
patterns of rock art sites on both routes.
* 1.2.1.2.1 THE WEST ROUTE
There is a remarkable fact about the distribution of the rock art sites
in the study area. Most fixed sites are not found on the valley floor
but at its western and eastern fringes and in a limited area beyond its
edges. There is also a remarkable absence of rock art on the southern
edges of the valley. Strikingly, there are only three complex rock art
sites in the Kilmartin valley (Fig. 4: 12, 12A and 13), which, moreover,
concentrate on the SW edges of the valley, at Poltalloch and
Ballygowan. Especially Poltalloch is regarded by me as the main
entrance of the earlier west route. The ten other complex sites are
not even close to the Kilmartin valley but are found in its
entrances/exits. This contradicts the idea (Bradley 1997: 118, 123)
that there exists an increasing complexity and number of petroglyphs
when travelling towards the major monuments (Figs 4 and 12: M and N).
Indeed, when travelling from Ormaig (Fig. 190) (Site 21) or from
Glasvaar (20) and Eurach (17) via the nearest entrance of the valley (14
and 15) towards the megalithic complex at Nether Largie (Fig. 12: N),
the result is even a decreasing complexity. There is also definitely no
increase of numbers of petroglyphs as most glyphs are found at Ormaig
(21), Creagantairbh (16), Glennan (18) and Glasvaar (20) (Figs 4 and 12).
FIG. 12: DISTANCES OF ROCK ART SITES TO THE KILMARTIN VALLEY.
M. van HOEK: 20
GEOGRAPHY