Cairnpapple Henge | West Lothian | Neolithic Age | Ancient History of Scotland | Before Caledonia

A journey through Scotland's ancient sites

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CAIRNPAPPLE | BATHGATE | WEST LOTHIAN | SCOTLAND

ON THE CENTRAL BELT BETWEEN GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PREHISTORIC AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES ON MAINLAND SCOTLAND. CAIRNPAPPLE IS A VERY COMPLEX SITE WHICH IS IN THE CARE OF HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND.

NEAR BATHGATE ON THE SUMMIT OF CAIRNPAPPLE HILL, IS A MULTI PHASE, SACRED SITE, HELD DEAR BY OUR ANCIENT ANCESTORS. THE RING OF BRODGAR ON ORKNEY, IS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THIS TYPE OF HENGE MONUMENT IN SCOTLAND. TODAY WE CAN STILL ENJOY A VISIT TO THIS ANCIENT SITE.

CAIRNPAPPLE WAS CAREFULLY PLACED WITH OUTSTANDING VIEWS (ON A CLEAR DAY) TO ARTHUR’S SEAT IN THE EAST, GOAT FELL ON ARRAN TO THE WEST, TINTO HILLS TO THE SOUTH AND BEN LAWERS TO THE NORTH. OTHER LANDSCAPE FEATURES CAN BE SEEN.

OUR ANCESTORS CHOSE THIS ELEVATED LOCATION FOR ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS. THIS WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE SITES ORIGINAL FUNCTIONS, WHICH ARE NOW LONG LOST TO US. LEY LINES POSSIBLY MEET HERE AS WELL.

ACTIVITY HERE BY OUR ANCESTORS, SPANNED MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED GENERATIONS, FROM THE NEOLITHIC TO CHRISTIANITY. PRESENTLY A MODERN CONCRETE DOME COVERS, CAIRN 1 AND 2. THIS STRUCTURE WAS ERECTED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS, TO PROTECT THE BRONZE AGE GRAVES.

PHASE 1 - 3,500BC - 3000BC

SIX HEARTHS ARE THE EARLIEST EVIDENCE ON CAIRNPAPPLE. BURNT TOGETHER WERE HAZEL AND OAK WOOD, FRAGMENTS OF TWO STONE AXE HEADS FROM CUMBRIA AND WALES, ALONG WITH POTTERY. THE HEARTHS ARE COVERED BY THE HENGE CONSTRUCTION AND ARE NO LONGER VISIBLE.

AN IMPORTANT CEREMONIAL HENGE COMPLEX WAS BUILT IN 3000BC. THE BANK AND DITCH ENCLOSES ALL THE REMAINS. AN OVAL DITCH WAS DUG WITH THE EARTH STACKED AT THE OUTER RIM TO CREATE THE BANK.

THE BANK IS 60M FROM EAST TO WEST. TWO ENTRANCES ARE AT THE NORTH AND SOUTH. WITHIN THE HENGE IS TWENTY FOUR POST HOLES, SET OUT IN AN OVAL SHAPE. THESE POSTS ARE NOW MARKED BY HOLES, FILLED WITH RED GRAVEL.

PHASE 2 - 2000BC

AT 2000BC THE ORIGINAL FUNCTIONS OF THE SITE HAD BEEN LONG FORGOTTEN. OUR ANCESTORS STILL FOUND THE LOCATION SPECIAL. CAIRNPAPPLE NOW BEGAN A NEW ERA FOR BURIAL.

(CAIRN 1) THE FIRST BURIAL WAS LIKELY THE NORTH GRAVE. THIS HAS A STANDING STONE AT THE FOOT WITH SMALLER STONES AROUND THE OUTSIDE IN AN OVAL SHAPE. GRAVE GOODS DISCOVERED WERE TWO BEAKER POTS AND A WOODEN CLUB. THE GRAVE CONTAINED A BRONZE AGE PERSON WHO WAS LIKELY IMPORTANT. THE GRAVE WAS COVERED BY A CAIRN OF STONES.

(CAIRN 2) TWO CIST BURIALS WERE PLACED NEAR THE NORTH GRAVE, LARGE CAPSTONES COVERED THE CISTS. THESE WERE COVERED WITH A 15M DIAMETER STONE CAIRN, SURROUNDED BY KERB STONES. THE MODERN DOME IS BUILT OVER THESE TWO CAIRNS. A FOOD VESSEL WAS FOUND IN ONE CIST WHILE THE OTHER HAD A HUMAN CREMATION. ONE OF THE CISTS ALSO HAD CUP MARKS.

(CAIRN 3) AT A DIAMETER OF 30M IS THE LARGEST AND FINAL CAIRN. NO GRAVES HAVE BEEN FOUND. THIS LAST CAIRN WAS BUILT ON TOP OF CAIRN 1 AND 2. THE CAPSTONE OF THE SMALLER CIST (CAIRN 2) WAS THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN LOST. AFTER EXCAVATION IN 1948, IT WAS MOVED. IT IS NOW THE WESTERN MOST KERB STONE IN CAIRN 3.

PHASE 3 - 1000AD

FOUR EARLY CHRISTIAN BURIALS WERE CUT INTO THE ROCK, ON THE EAST SIDE. THE GRAVES ARE ORIENTATED ROUGHLY EAST - WEST. NO OBJECTS WERE FOUND IN THE GRAVES. THESE ARE DATED TO AROUND 1000 AD. THREE OF THESE GRAVES ARE ON THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE TIMBER POST HOLES.

EXCAVATIONS

EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR, S PIGGOTT, EXCAVATED CAIRNPAPPLE IN 1947-48. THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS TOOK ON THE 1940’S NISSAN WARTIME BUILDING, AS A BASE WHILE EXCAVATING.

GALABRAES STANDING STONE IS NOT FAR AWAY, THIS STONE IS PART OF A PAIR AND MAY BE LINKED WITH CAIRNPAPPLE. ONLY A STUMP REMAINS OF THE SECOND STONE. A MODERN STONE CIRCLE LIES JUST UP THE ROAD. THE NAME CAIRNPAPPLE PROBABLY MEANS ‘THE CAIRN OF LOOSE STONES OR PEBBLES’

A BIG THANKS TO OUR ANCIENT ANCESTORS.