Grave Matters

For those interested in archaeology, the news that finally the four-tonne capstone has been lifted at the site near Forteviot, ten miles south of Perth, must be exciting.

The removal revealed the 4,000 year old Bronze Age intact burial chamber of a man who is thought to have been an important figure. He was buried with a valuable bronze dagger with a gold band, still enclosed in its sheath. There was also evidence of the remains of wooden possessions and floral tributes.

The find was made last week by a team of archaeologists from Glasgow and Aberdeen universities working on the Strathearn Environs and Royal Forteviot project.

An enigmatic series of pecked carvings, unique in Britain, were also revealed as sunrays hit the underside of the capstone. An extensive complex of prehistoric ritual monuments exist at Forteviot, going back to the Neolithic period, possibly as far back as 3,000BC. The site was a centre of religious and political significance for millennia. The last Pictish kings, including Kenneth MacAlpine who died in AD858, were drawn to Forteviot and left a legacy of exceptional Pictish sculpture.

I've visited the site a few times and it really is an extraordinary experience. Forteviot is approximately a 25 minute drive north up the A9 from Stirling. It's well signposted but take care as the turning is to the right and therefore you have to cross the south-going carriageway.

Source: The Times

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