| |
The
standing stones of the Isle of Mull are unique to the
Western Isles, and indeed the rest of Scotland, in that
they are often arranged in the form of a small row of
between three and five stones. Although it has always
been supposed that the three stones at Baliscate
similarly formed a stone row, this was only confirmed
during a two-week excavation in September this year. A
small team from Manchester University, led by Joanna
Wright, along with a number of local volunteers,
excavated a small area surrounding the stones.
Before excavation the site comprised two standing stones
with a recumbent or fallen stone positioned at
right-angles in-between them. Excavation revealed that
the original position of the recumbent stone was
approximately equidistant between the two upright
standing stones. In addition to this the stump of a
fourth, smaller stone was uncovered to the north of the
row, which appears to have been broken at some point in
history, and until its recent discovery was entirely
covered by the peat. Close to the base of this stone,
cut into the prehistoric ground surface, a very small
cremation burial was discovered, from which samples were
taken for dating. Prior to the excavation of this site,
only two others have been excavated on the island, so
the information derived from this season’s work will
significantly enrich our understanding of the prehistory
of the island.
More information from 'Stones
of Wonder' by Robert Pollock click
Balliscate |
   |
