Balnuaran of Clava Cairns
Clava Cairns
Early Bronze Age (2000–1500 BCE)·Clava cairn tradition (Inverness Bronze Age)·🇬🇧 Highland, Inverness-shire, United Kingdom
About
About Balnuaran of Clava Cairns
Group of three Bronze Age circular chamber tombs (c. 2000 BCE) at Balnuaran of Clava, defining Clava cairn type: two passage graves with corbelled chambers and a central ring cairn, each within a stone circle with outlier standing stones. Solar alignment at midwinter sunset through passage.
Why it mattersKey Clava cairn tradition (Inverness Bronze Age) site illustrating Early Bronze Age (2000–1500 BCE) megalithic traditions.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Solar vs lunar alignment intent
- 02Outlier stone solstice marker function
Theories
- 01Clan cemetery for Inverness elite
- 02Midwinter ritual congregation
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 2000 BCE passages, ring cairn 1950 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze Age (2000–1500 BCE)
- Culture
- Clava cairn tradition (Inverness Bronze Age)
- Purpose
- Funerary and astronomical; passage graves aligned to midwinter sunset
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 2000 BCE
Passage graves built
c. 1850 BCE
Central ring cairn added
1881
Owner restoration (Anderson)
1909
Henshall survey
On the ground
Structures & features
57.4735° N · 4.0732° W · 120 m · 3 mapped features
North-East Passage Grave
passage gravePassage grave 17 m cairn, passage 6.6 m aligned SW
57.4739° N · 4.0728° WCentral Ring Cairn
ring cairnUnroofed ring cairn 17.5 m diameter with stone circle
57.4735° N · 4.0736° WSouth-West Passage Grave
passage gravePassage grave 17 m cairn with three cup-marked kerbstones
57.4731° N · 4.0741° W