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 Head To Head The Modern Antiquarian Rubha Charnain Forum | Start a topic | Search |
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| You're right to question these marks Rhiannon. There is some debate to the origins of these Scottish seashore carvings - not these particular ones but shoreside ones in general. They are often thought to be 'bait mortars' or 'crotagan' - small cups used when grinding bait for fishing and there is definitely some evidence that points to them being used for this purpose. See Graeme C quoting Morris on the subject http://www.alkelda.f9.co.uk/lore4.htm Of course this doesn't mean that all such cup-like depressions are bait mortars. Margaret Cutis recently showed me a whole heap of these carvings close to Bernera Bridge on Lewis, which she discovered whilst out canoeing with Ron G. The carved rocks were covered in multiple cups of varying depths and were within the tidal zone and sloping towards the sea. It struck me that the idea of these being bait mortars didn't really fit-in with their frequency, morphology and distribution along a number of sloping rocks. Margaret had showed them to Ronald Morris but he dismissed them as mortars because of their location within the tidal zone. What Morris didn't take into account was that in prehistory the sea level was approximately 5m below the present level and the loch would have been a river. The cups aside, Margaret had me in stitches as she crossed a half submerged seaweed covered causeway and then leapt about the trecherous rocky weed covered shore in two left wellington boots. I don't really go in for heroes but if I did she would be mine. Reply | with quote |  21st June 2006ce 14:36 In reply to: Call me a miserable old cynic.. (Rhiannon) |
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