Will the Secrets Behind the 5000-year-old Cochno Stone Finally Be Solved? [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Will the Secrets Behind the 5000-year-old Cochno Stone Finally Be Solved?
8 September, 2016 - 00:49 aprilholloway




With dozens of grooved spirals, carved indentations, geometric shapes, and mysterious patterns of many kinds, the Cochno Stone, located in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, is considered to have the finest example of Bronze Age cup and ring carvings in the whole of Europe. Yet, for the last 50 years it has laid buried beneath several feet of earth and vegetation in what was a desperate attempt at the time to protect it from vandals. However, the famous stone is set to be unearthed once more to finally embark on an in-depth study of its enigmatic symbols in the hope of learning some of its secrets.

The Scotsman reports that the enormous stone will be uncovered over the next three weeks and archaeologists will then use 3D-imaging technology to make a detailed digital record of the stone’s markings in the hope that it “will provide more information on the stone’s history, purpose and the people who created it about 5,000 years ago”.

The stone, which measures 42ft by 26ft, was first discovered by the Rev James Harvey in 1887 on farmland near what is now the Faifley housing estate on the edge of Clydebank. It is covered in more than 90 carved indentations, known as ‘cup and ring’ marks.

Cup and ring marks are a form of prehistoric art consisting of a concave depression, no more than a few centimetres across, carved into a rock surface and often surrounded by concentric circles also etched into the stone. The decoration occurs as a petroglyph on natural boulders and outcrops, and on megaliths such as the slab cists, stone circles, and passage graves. They are found mainly in Northern England, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, North West Spain, North West Italy, Central Greece, and Switzerland. However, similar forms have also been found throughout the world including Mexico, Brazil, and India.

More:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/will-secrets-behind-5000-year-old-cochno-stone-finally-be-solved-006607?nopaging=1