Ri Cruin Cairn
Ri Cruin · Kilmartin South Outlier
Early Bronze Age·Beaker·🇬🇧 Kilmartin Glen, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom
About
About Ri Cruin Cairn
Outlier cairn at the southern end of Kilmartin Glen's linear cemetery, near Ri Cruin farm, built c.2200–1950 BCE. The 15 m kerb cairn with central cist was reused as a lime kiln, distorting its profile. It yielded Beaker pottery and was the focus of local tradition as a king's grave. Standing apart from the main Nether Largie–Temple Wood alignment, it marks the glen's southern terminus.
Why it mattersOutlier cairn at the southern end of Kilmartin Glen's linear cemetery, near Ri Cruin farm, built c.2200–1950 BCE. The 15 m kerb cairn with central cist was reused as a lime kiln, distorting its profile. It yielded Beaker
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Outlier placement versus linear alignment
Theories
- 01Southern boundary of cemetery landscape
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. 2200–1950 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze Age
- Culture
- Beaker
- Purpose
- Kerb cairn with cist, outlier
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 2200–1950 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1014 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
56.1171° N · 5.5001° W · 40 m · 2 mapped features
Central cist
cistStone cist under cairn, Beaker pottery findspot
56.1171° N · 5.5001° WKerb stones
kerbKerbstones defining 15 m cairn edge, partially robbed
56.1170° N · 5.5002° W
Gallery