I studied archaeology at Cambridge from 1956-59.I went on the Cambridge Expedition to British Honduras in 1959 and excavated the Maya site of Xunantunich.On returning to England in 1960 I got a job in the Hunterian museum in Glasgow University and excavated several sites in Scotland, mostly brochs, and studied one Neolitihic chambered tomb, Maeshowe in Orkney. The excavations were all systematically conducted by follow-ing Prof. Richard Atkinson's book"Archaeological fieldwork".
A summary the Archaeopress excavation report for Leckie broch in Stirlingshire with interesting d... more A summary the Archaeopress excavation report for Leckie broch in Stirlingshire with interesting details provided by Roman objects found on the site. The report of Dun Ardtreck in Skye is re-considered for the same reason. A more detailed summary is on the file.
My careful survey many years ago of four Iron Age Scottish brochs, which are among the few which ... more My careful survey many years ago of four Iron Age Scottish brochs, which are among the few which are clearly non circular, suggests that they were in fact built carefully round accurately drawn ellipses which themselves have proportions based on Pythagorean right-angled triangles. This suggests that some of the skills of the Neolithic stone circle builders in the third millennium BC survived until the broch period which started in about the first century BC. I wrote this paper about five years ago and submitted it to the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, The Antiquaries Journal, Time and Mind and the Oxford Journal of Archaeology. All the editors declined to publish it, despite some favourable referees' reports. Prehistoric geometry, like skilled ancient astronomy, is a highly unpopular subject in British archaeology.
Although it was Gerald Hawkinsâ 1965 book that first alerted British archaeology to the remarkabl... more Although it was Gerald Hawkinsâ 1965 book that first alerted British archaeology to the remarkable potential that detecting ancient astronomical practices has for altering our view of the prehistoric world, the genesis of the modern flowering of archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy must surely lie in the work of Alexander Thom in Britain between the 1930s and the 1970s (Thom 1967, 1971; Thom and Thom 1978).1 It was Thom who taught us how to look for, and assess rigorously, the field evidence for sophisticated sky watching, calendar making, surveying, and geometry in prehistoric times. Without this basic insight, and the stimulus to sound research that resulted, it is doubtful whether this conference and its six predecessors would ever have been held.
In 2000 Clive Ruggles and Gordon Barclay published a paper in the British journal Antiquity tryin... more In 2000 Clive Ruggles and Gordon Barclay published a paper in the British journal Antiquity trying to refute my arguments (in Science and Society in Prehistoric Britain: 1977) that British Neolithic society was much more sophisticated than most archaeologists believed. In particular they objected (1) to the idea that Alexander Thom was right about the use in Neolithic times of accurate long astronomical alignments and (2) that there was abundant standard archaeological evidence which fitted the idea that that period was dominated by a class of astronomer priests with a mass of esoteric knowledge. The criticisms of Ruggles (an archaeoastronomer) and Barclay (an archaeologist) too often depended on the assumption that I had to be wrong and ignored the implications of the systematic scientific tests of the new hypotheses which I had carried out over the years. I published a short response in Antiquity in 2002 and the full one on that journal's web site in 2002. That web site is no longer available and the full response is on an obscure web site which is hard to find.
Douglas Scott maintains that Alexander Thomâs interpretation of the Kintraw standing stone, Argyl... more Douglas Scott maintains that Alexander Thomâs interpretation of the Kintraw standing stone, Argyll, as marking an accurate midwinter sunset is a myth, but the evidence he cites is not strictly relevant. A higher observation point than that at the standing stone â such as the nearby prehistoric burial cairns â is needed to see the midwinter notch on Jura over a nearby ridge. However features of the cairns at the site are not relevant because they do not affect the existence or otherwise of the long alignment. Other evidence which is relevant is not discussed, and is reviewed here. An alternative higher observation point was found by Thom on the steep hill slope NE of the stone and excavations here in 1970/71 found a level rubble pavement behind two massive low boulders forming a notch to stand in. The declination of the mountain notch on Jura as seen from this platform is exactly right for midwinter sunset at about 1800 BC. Petrofabric analysis conďŹrmed that the rubble pavement is almost certainly man-made. Another boulder in an almost identical position 48m upstream failed to produce a pavement behind it, which it should have done if the stone layer was of natural origin. Final conďŹrmation that the hill platform is the primary viewing point is provided by a small standing stone about 1m high even further up the steep hill slope behind the platform. Kintraw is thus an extremely important site because the excavations on the hill slope were in effect an independent archaeological test of Thomâs long alignment hypothesis â so far the only one ever carried out. The test vindicates Thomâs ideas decisively.
Summary
On the north bank of the Clyde a few miles west of Glasgow there are two scheduled prehis... more Summary On the north bank of the Clyde a few miles west of Glasgow there are two scheduled prehistoric sites of considerable archaeological interest. Sheep Hill is a small two period hillfort on a prominent volcanic plug which is threatened with destruction by the local quarry; one of the finest cup-and- ring carvings in Scotland used to be two hundred metres to its north but at the demand of the quarry the carvings were sawn off in 1994 and are now stored in the National Museums in Edinburgh. Historic Scotland allowed that to happen and is now prepared to let the hillfort go. In theory the carvings could be restored to their original site when the quarryâs licence expires. It seems that neither the local authority in West Dumbartonshire nor the Scottish Government is willing or able to pay the required compensation to the quarry company to save Sheep Hill. I carried out excavations on Sheep Hill in 1966-69 and recorded the rock carvings for Historic Scotland in 1984 and am convinced that not only are the sites worth saving in their own right but that they were actually connected in ancient times. It seems that when the first, timber-framed, stronghold was built in about 900 BC the nearby carved rock was quarried for building material, destroying many carvings; however the Neolithic tradition of cup-and-ring carvings was still alive locally and new ones were cut on to the freshly exposed surfaces, including a very fine double disc symbol. This hypothesis could be tested in any future excavations and if correct would make the two sites unique in Britain. The mere possibility of such a relationship means that Sheep Hill must be preserved. Euan W. MacKie
Recent authoritative work by Ruggles on whether there were significant astronomical and calendric... more Recent authoritative work by Ruggles on whether there were significant astronomical and calendrical alignments built into Stonehenge in the third millennium BCE has concluded that the evidence for accurate alignments is minimal and that there is none for sophisticated astronomical practices, nor for any kind of calendar. Whether sophisticated geometry was used in designing the site is not discussed. I will review the relevant evidence â previously discussed by Hawkins, Thom and Atkinson â in the light of both Atkinsonâs accurate on- site surveys in 1978 and Hawkinsâ photogrammetric survey. It will be argued that these data allow us to infer that important lunar and solar alignments were built into the rectangular formation of the Station Stones, and into the main axis of the site. Moreover, geometrical constructions â and the use of at least one standard length unit â have been postulated for the Station Stones and the sarsen circle these ideas too are investigated. It seems that these two aspects of prehistoric intellectual skills â astronomy and the calendar, and geometry â are closely interwoven at this site, and that this emerging picture has broad implications for our understanding of Neolithic society.
The basic features of broch architecture are discussed. There were probably a large number of cla... more The basic features of broch architecture are discussed. There were probably a large number of classic, hollow-walled, dry-stone towers, as opposed to lower, less architecturally sophisticated âAtlantic roundhousesâ. Various kinds of dating imply that most were built â probably by professionals â in the Middle Iron Age, from c.100 BC to AD 200, although a few emerged earlier in Shetland, perhaps from 400â300 BC. Wheelhouses seem to have emerged from these early Shetland brochs. The MIA material culture includes many new items found all over the province, though much of the pottery is regional. Everted Rim ware was clearly connected somehow with the spread of the brochs from Shetland. The details of the MIA mixed farming economy are reviewed, as is the varied if indirect evidence for the social organization of the broch families; a hierarchical clan society is implied. The MIA now seems to have lasted until the sixth century AD and in the west at least its end may have been precipitated by a drastic climatic downturn.
A new overview of the broch and wheelhouse-building cultures is offered because recent comparable... more A new overview of the broch and wheelhouse-building cultures is offered because recent comparable attempts have omitted substantial amounts of relevant data, such as discussion of the most plausible broch prototypes and of the details of the material cultural sequence, particularly the pottery. Well dated Early Iron Age roundhouse sites have often been described, but promontory forts of the same period, showing the specialized broch hollow wall, have not. The example at Clickhimin, Shetland, is now reliably dated to the sixth century BC at the latest and the associated pottery shows clear links with north-west France. Another unexcavated example in Harris can be restored in some detail and shows how these sites were probably used. The pivotal role of Shetland in the emergence of the new culture is confirmed by the early dating of the broch at Old Scatness to the fourth/third centuries BC. However, a separate development of the round broch tower seems also to have occurred in the west, in the third/second centuries BC. English Early Iron Age pottery is also prominent in some of the earliest sites in the west and north. The picture is of a dynamic, maritime zone open to influences from several remote regions.
Interpreting Neolithic passage grave art is difficult but, according to middle range theory, coul... more Interpreting Neolithic passage grave art is difficult but, according to middle range theory, could be achieved with analogies with known other factors. Celestial phenomena present one possibility and can easily be assessed qualitatively and quantitatively; however, a single match in modern eyes need not necessarily have been intended by Neolithic minds; independent corroboration is needed. The late fourth millennium bc kerbstone K15 at Knowth, Ireland, bears a fan-shaped pattern that has been controversially interpreted as a solar calendar yet it has not been noted until now that there is independent evidence for exactly this calendar, in fine detail, in the standing stone alignments of Britain. A new examination and reinterpretation of the rock carving reveals a strikingly good match with this âmenhir calendarâ of Alexander Thom and strongly supports his statistical deductions from his survey data. Also offered is an interpretation of the âdiamond and spiralâ symbol that appears rarely on passage grave art and once on a sherd of Orkney Grooved ware. A link with the solar calendar is possible.
The work of Alexander Thom on the geometrical and astronomical achievements of prehistoric Britai... more The work of Alexander Thom on the geometrical and astronomical achievements of prehistoric Britainâ depending as it does almost entirely on data gained from surveying and statistical analysisâis rarely referred to now by British archaeologists.Yet his idea of the prehistoric sixteen-âmonthâ solar calendarâin which the year is divided successively into halves, quarters, eighths and sixteenthsâcan now be tested with evidence from other fields, including some spectacular archaeological artifacts and from excavations specifically designed to examine the hypothesis. This article reviews the origins of the idea and presents some new evidence which has emerged since Thomâs time which bears on it. This material includes five sites which excavation and surveying have shown to be probable accurate solar- calendar markers and three spectacular artifacts which, in their different ways, shed further light on the idea. These are the gold lozenge from Bush Barrow,Wiltshire, the âsky discâ from near Nebra in eastern Germany, and the fan-shaped design on stone K15 at the Knowth passage grave in Ireland. This diversity of evidence provides powerful support for Thomâs hypothesis and, it is suggested, makes more likely the existence of intellectually skilled professional priesthoods in north-western Europe in the Neolithic period and the early Bronze Age.
A summary the Archaeopress excavation report for Leckie broch in Stirlingshire with interesting d... more A summary the Archaeopress excavation report for Leckie broch in Stirlingshire with interesting details provided by Roman objects found on the site. The report of Dun Ardtreck in Skye is re-considered for the same reason. A more detailed summary is on the file.
My careful survey many years ago of four Iron Age Scottish brochs, which are among the few which ... more My careful survey many years ago of four Iron Age Scottish brochs, which are among the few which are clearly non circular, suggests that they were in fact built carefully round accurately drawn ellipses which themselves have proportions based on Pythagorean right-angled triangles. This suggests that some of the skills of the Neolithic stone circle builders in the third millennium BC survived until the broch period which started in about the first century BC. I wrote this paper about five years ago and submitted it to the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, The Antiquaries Journal, Time and Mind and the Oxford Journal of Archaeology. All the editors declined to publish it, despite some favourable referees' reports. Prehistoric geometry, like skilled ancient astronomy, is a highly unpopular subject in British archaeology.
Although it was Gerald Hawkinsâ 1965 book that first alerted British archaeology to the remarkabl... more Although it was Gerald Hawkinsâ 1965 book that first alerted British archaeology to the remarkable potential that detecting ancient astronomical practices has for altering our view of the prehistoric world, the genesis of the modern flowering of archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy must surely lie in the work of Alexander Thom in Britain between the 1930s and the 1970s (Thom 1967, 1971; Thom and Thom 1978).1 It was Thom who taught us how to look for, and assess rigorously, the field evidence for sophisticated sky watching, calendar making, surveying, and geometry in prehistoric times. Without this basic insight, and the stimulus to sound research that resulted, it is doubtful whether this conference and its six predecessors would ever have been held.
In 2000 Clive Ruggles and Gordon Barclay published a paper in the British journal Antiquity tryin... more In 2000 Clive Ruggles and Gordon Barclay published a paper in the British journal Antiquity trying to refute my arguments (in Science and Society in Prehistoric Britain: 1977) that British Neolithic society was much more sophisticated than most archaeologists believed. In particular they objected (1) to the idea that Alexander Thom was right about the use in Neolithic times of accurate long astronomical alignments and (2) that there was abundant standard archaeological evidence which fitted the idea that that period was dominated by a class of astronomer priests with a mass of esoteric knowledge. The criticisms of Ruggles (an archaeoastronomer) and Barclay (an archaeologist) too often depended on the assumption that I had to be wrong and ignored the implications of the systematic scientific tests of the new hypotheses which I had carried out over the years. I published a short response in Antiquity in 2002 and the full one on that journal's web site in 2002. That web site is no longer available and the full response is on an obscure web site which is hard to find.
Douglas Scott maintains that Alexander Thomâs interpretation of the Kintraw standing stone, Argyl... more Douglas Scott maintains that Alexander Thomâs interpretation of the Kintraw standing stone, Argyll, as marking an accurate midwinter sunset is a myth, but the evidence he cites is not strictly relevant. A higher observation point than that at the standing stone â such as the nearby prehistoric burial cairns â is needed to see the midwinter notch on Jura over a nearby ridge. However features of the cairns at the site are not relevant because they do not affect the existence or otherwise of the long alignment. Other evidence which is relevant is not discussed, and is reviewed here. An alternative higher observation point was found by Thom on the steep hill slope NE of the stone and excavations here in 1970/71 found a level rubble pavement behind two massive low boulders forming a notch to stand in. The declination of the mountain notch on Jura as seen from this platform is exactly right for midwinter sunset at about 1800 BC. Petrofabric analysis conďŹrmed that the rubble pavement is almost certainly man-made. Another boulder in an almost identical position 48m upstream failed to produce a pavement behind it, which it should have done if the stone layer was of natural origin. Final conďŹrmation that the hill platform is the primary viewing point is provided by a small standing stone about 1m high even further up the steep hill slope behind the platform. Kintraw is thus an extremely important site because the excavations on the hill slope were in effect an independent archaeological test of Thomâs long alignment hypothesis â so far the only one ever carried out. The test vindicates Thomâs ideas decisively.
Summary
On the north bank of the Clyde a few miles west of Glasgow there are two scheduled prehis... more Summary On the north bank of the Clyde a few miles west of Glasgow there are two scheduled prehistoric sites of considerable archaeological interest. Sheep Hill is a small two period hillfort on a prominent volcanic plug which is threatened with destruction by the local quarry; one of the finest cup-and- ring carvings in Scotland used to be two hundred metres to its north but at the demand of the quarry the carvings were sawn off in 1994 and are now stored in the National Museums in Edinburgh. Historic Scotland allowed that to happen and is now prepared to let the hillfort go. In theory the carvings could be restored to their original site when the quarryâs licence expires. It seems that neither the local authority in West Dumbartonshire nor the Scottish Government is willing or able to pay the required compensation to the quarry company to save Sheep Hill. I carried out excavations on Sheep Hill in 1966-69 and recorded the rock carvings for Historic Scotland in 1984 and am convinced that not only are the sites worth saving in their own right but that they were actually connected in ancient times. It seems that when the first, timber-framed, stronghold was built in about 900 BC the nearby carved rock was quarried for building material, destroying many carvings; however the Neolithic tradition of cup-and-ring carvings was still alive locally and new ones were cut on to the freshly exposed surfaces, including a very fine double disc symbol. This hypothesis could be tested in any future excavations and if correct would make the two sites unique in Britain. The mere possibility of such a relationship means that Sheep Hill must be preserved. Euan W. MacKie
Recent authoritative work by Ruggles on whether there were significant astronomical and calendric... more Recent authoritative work by Ruggles on whether there were significant astronomical and calendrical alignments built into Stonehenge in the third millennium BCE has concluded that the evidence for accurate alignments is minimal and that there is none for sophisticated astronomical practices, nor for any kind of calendar. Whether sophisticated geometry was used in designing the site is not discussed. I will review the relevant evidence â previously discussed by Hawkins, Thom and Atkinson â in the light of both Atkinsonâs accurate on- site surveys in 1978 and Hawkinsâ photogrammetric survey. It will be argued that these data allow us to infer that important lunar and solar alignments were built into the rectangular formation of the Station Stones, and into the main axis of the site. Moreover, geometrical constructions â and the use of at least one standard length unit â have been postulated for the Station Stones and the sarsen circle these ideas too are investigated. It seems that these two aspects of prehistoric intellectual skills â astronomy and the calendar, and geometry â are closely interwoven at this site, and that this emerging picture has broad implications for our understanding of Neolithic society.
The basic features of broch architecture are discussed. There were probably a large number of cla... more The basic features of broch architecture are discussed. There were probably a large number of classic, hollow-walled, dry-stone towers, as opposed to lower, less architecturally sophisticated âAtlantic roundhousesâ. Various kinds of dating imply that most were built â probably by professionals â in the Middle Iron Age, from c.100 BC to AD 200, although a few emerged earlier in Shetland, perhaps from 400â300 BC. Wheelhouses seem to have emerged from these early Shetland brochs. The MIA material culture includes many new items found all over the province, though much of the pottery is regional. Everted Rim ware was clearly connected somehow with the spread of the brochs from Shetland. The details of the MIA mixed farming economy are reviewed, as is the varied if indirect evidence for the social organization of the broch families; a hierarchical clan society is implied. The MIA now seems to have lasted until the sixth century AD and in the west at least its end may have been precipitated by a drastic climatic downturn.
A new overview of the broch and wheelhouse-building cultures is offered because recent comparable... more A new overview of the broch and wheelhouse-building cultures is offered because recent comparable attempts have omitted substantial amounts of relevant data, such as discussion of the most plausible broch prototypes and of the details of the material cultural sequence, particularly the pottery. Well dated Early Iron Age roundhouse sites have often been described, but promontory forts of the same period, showing the specialized broch hollow wall, have not. The example at Clickhimin, Shetland, is now reliably dated to the sixth century BC at the latest and the associated pottery shows clear links with north-west France. Another unexcavated example in Harris can be restored in some detail and shows how these sites were probably used. The pivotal role of Shetland in the emergence of the new culture is confirmed by the early dating of the broch at Old Scatness to the fourth/third centuries BC. However, a separate development of the round broch tower seems also to have occurred in the west, in the third/second centuries BC. English Early Iron Age pottery is also prominent in some of the earliest sites in the west and north. The picture is of a dynamic, maritime zone open to influences from several remote regions.
Interpreting Neolithic passage grave art is difficult but, according to middle range theory, coul... more Interpreting Neolithic passage grave art is difficult but, according to middle range theory, could be achieved with analogies with known other factors. Celestial phenomena present one possibility and can easily be assessed qualitatively and quantitatively; however, a single match in modern eyes need not necessarily have been intended by Neolithic minds; independent corroboration is needed. The late fourth millennium bc kerbstone K15 at Knowth, Ireland, bears a fan-shaped pattern that has been controversially interpreted as a solar calendar yet it has not been noted until now that there is independent evidence for exactly this calendar, in fine detail, in the standing stone alignments of Britain. A new examination and reinterpretation of the rock carving reveals a strikingly good match with this âmenhir calendarâ of Alexander Thom and strongly supports his statistical deductions from his survey data. Also offered is an interpretation of the âdiamond and spiralâ symbol that appears rarely on passage grave art and once on a sherd of Orkney Grooved ware. A link with the solar calendar is possible.
The work of Alexander Thom on the geometrical and astronomical achievements of prehistoric Britai... more The work of Alexander Thom on the geometrical and astronomical achievements of prehistoric Britainâ depending as it does almost entirely on data gained from surveying and statistical analysisâis rarely referred to now by British archaeologists.Yet his idea of the prehistoric sixteen-âmonthâ solar calendarâin which the year is divided successively into halves, quarters, eighths and sixteenthsâcan now be tested with evidence from other fields, including some spectacular archaeological artifacts and from excavations specifically designed to examine the hypothesis. This article reviews the origins of the idea and presents some new evidence which has emerged since Thomâs time which bears on it. This material includes five sites which excavation and surveying have shown to be probable accurate solar- calendar markers and three spectacular artifacts which, in their different ways, shed further light on the idea. These are the gold lozenge from Bush Barrow,Wiltshire, the âsky discâ from near Nebra in eastern Germany, and the fan-shaped design on stone K15 at the Knowth passage grave in Ireland. This diversity of evidence provides powerful support for Thomâs hypothesis and, it is suggested, makes more likely the existence of intellectually skilled professional priesthoods in north-western Europe in the Neolithic period and the early Bronze Age.
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I wrote this paper about five years ago and submitted it to the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, The Antiquaries Journal, Time and Mind and the Oxford Journal of Archaeology. All the editors declined to publish it, despite some favourable referees' reports. Prehistoric geometry, like skilled ancient astronomy, is a highly unpopular subject in British archaeology.
Petrofabric analysis conďŹrmed that the rubble pavement is almost certainly man-made. Another boulder in an almost identical position 48m upstream failed to produce a pavement behind it, which it should have done if the stone layer was of natural origin. Final conďŹrmation that the hill platform is the primary viewing point is provided by a small standing stone about 1m high even further up the steep hill slope behind the platform. Kintraw is thus an extremely important site because the excavations on the hill slope were in effect an independent archaeological test of Thomâs long alignment hypothesis â so far the only one ever carried out. The test vindicates Thomâs ideas decisively.
On the north bank of the Clyde a few miles west of Glasgow there are two scheduled prehistoric sites of considerable archaeological interest. Sheep Hill is a small two period hillfort on a prominent volcanic plug which is threatened with destruction by the local quarry; one of the finest cup-and- ring carvings in Scotland used to be two hundred metres to its north but at the demand of the quarry the carvings were sawn off in 1994 and are now stored in the National Museums in Edinburgh. Historic Scotland allowed that to happen and is now prepared to let the hillfort go. In theory the carvings could be restored to their original site when the quarryâs licence expires. It seems that neither the local authority in West Dumbartonshire nor the Scottish Government is willing or able to pay the required compensation to the quarry company to save Sheep Hill. I carried out excavations on Sheep Hill in 1966-69 and recorded the rock carvings for Historic Scotland in 1984 and am convinced that not only are the sites worth saving in their own right but that they were actually connected in ancient times. It seems that when the first, timber-framed, stronghold was built in about 900 BC the nearby carved rock was quarried for building material, destroying many carvings; however the Neolithic tradition of cup-and-ring carvings was still alive locally and new ones were cut on to the freshly exposed surfaces, including a very fine double disc symbol. This hypothesis could be tested in any future excavations and if correct would make the two sites unique in Britain. The mere possibility of such a relationship means that Sheep Hill must be preserved. Euan W. MacKie
I wrote this paper about five years ago and submitted it to the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, The Antiquaries Journal, Time and Mind and the Oxford Journal of Archaeology. All the editors declined to publish it, despite some favourable referees' reports. Prehistoric geometry, like skilled ancient astronomy, is a highly unpopular subject in British archaeology.
Petrofabric analysis conďŹrmed that the rubble pavement is almost certainly man-made. Another boulder in an almost identical position 48m upstream failed to produce a pavement behind it, which it should have done if the stone layer was of natural origin. Final conďŹrmation that the hill platform is the primary viewing point is provided by a small standing stone about 1m high even further up the steep hill slope behind the platform. Kintraw is thus an extremely important site because the excavations on the hill slope were in effect an independent archaeological test of Thomâs long alignment hypothesis â so far the only one ever carried out. The test vindicates Thomâs ideas decisively.
On the north bank of the Clyde a few miles west of Glasgow there are two scheduled prehistoric sites of considerable archaeological interest. Sheep Hill is a small two period hillfort on a prominent volcanic plug which is threatened with destruction by the local quarry; one of the finest cup-and- ring carvings in Scotland used to be two hundred metres to its north but at the demand of the quarry the carvings were sawn off in 1994 and are now stored in the National Museums in Edinburgh. Historic Scotland allowed that to happen and is now prepared to let the hillfort go. In theory the carvings could be restored to their original site when the quarryâs licence expires. It seems that neither the local authority in West Dumbartonshire nor the Scottish Government is willing or able to pay the required compensation to the quarry company to save Sheep Hill. I carried out excavations on Sheep Hill in 1966-69 and recorded the rock carvings for Historic Scotland in 1984 and am convinced that not only are the sites worth saving in their own right but that they were actually connected in ancient times. It seems that when the first, timber-framed, stronghold was built in about 900 BC the nearby carved rock was quarried for building material, destroying many carvings; however the Neolithic tradition of cup-and-ring carvings was still alive locally and new ones were cut on to the freshly exposed surfaces, including a very fine double disc symbol. This hypothesis could be tested in any future excavations and if correct would make the two sites unique in Britain. The mere possibility of such a relationship means that Sheep Hill must be preserved. Euan W. MacKie