Nether Largie Standing Stone, Argyll
The challenge set this week was to celebrate the art of carving in its different forms. So rather than just the ‘typical’ sculpture or carving I thought it would be worth going way back to the Neolithic times and beyond.
Here in Kilmartin Glen, Argyll, Scotland is an area some 6 miles in radius where there are some 350 Ancient remains of which over 150 are pre-historic.
This Standing Stone is one of several at Nether Largie, and despite being over 5000 years old, the cup mark carvings and patterns can still be clearly seen.
What the meaning of these stones, cairns and carvings are is still much of a mystery. The only sure thing is that the area of Kilmartin remains to this day an area of significant religious meaning and history.
Apart from the Neolithic Standing Stones there are other more familiar stone carvings used as Grave Markers…
Portalloch Stones, Kilmartin
For there protection many have been collected together from other parts of the Glen (which makes viewing for visitors so easy). Most of these Markers date from circa 1300 to 1600 and illustrate many of the now familiar Celtic designs as well as traditional figures .
Beautiful and inspiring as they are my heart is still with the Standing Stones….the true purpose of these is still down to speculation and imagination….the one thing that is for sure is that they were of great importance for our ancestors.
You can see what others have submitted for the Challenge on this link:-
13th January
(C) David Oakes 2017
DAVID OAKES - IMAGES. 