The Linear Settings of Argyll and Mull

Ruggles C.L.N. (with contributions by Appleton P.N. Burch S.F. Cooke J.A. Few R.W. Morgan J.G. Norris R.P. ), Megalithic astronomy: A new archaeological and statistical study of 300 western Scottish sites (B.A.R. 123, Oxford, 1984).

Thom A. , Megalithic sites in Britain (Oxford, 1967), ch. 8.

For a summary see Ruggles C.L.N. , “Megalithic astronomy: The last five years”, Vistas in astronomy, xxvii (1984), 231–289, p. 246.

Ibid. 256.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), ch. 13.

See also Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 3), Section 4.2.5 and Figure 9; and Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), 282–5.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1).

Morrison L. V. , “On the analysis of megalithic lunar sightlines in Scotland”, Archaeoastronomy, no. 2 (1980), S65–77; Ruggles C.L.N. , “A reassessment of the high precision megalithic lunar sightlines, 2: Foresights and the problem of selection”, Archaeoastronomy, no. 5 (1983), S1–36.

Thom , op. cit. (ref. 2), 118.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), Table 2.1.

Ibid., Sections 2.3–2.6. The tally does not include Kintraw (AR5), which was omitted from the earlier analysis on the grounds that it had been excavated in order to test an astronomical hypothesis. It has been reinstated here.

Burl H.A.W. , Rings of stone (London, 1979), 66.

The sites involving stone circles are: Lochbuie in southern Mull (ML28), with a fine 13m-diameter circle, kerb cairn and four outlying menhirs; Strontoiller in Lorn (LN17), with a 20m-diameter ring of boulders situated some 200m away from a fine standing stone and associated ring cairn; and Kilmartin (AR13) with two circles, an outlying group of menhirs and the nearby Nether Largie round cairn. The “possible stone circle” site is Tenga (Loch Frisa), Mull (ML13), where there is a trapezoidal setting of four stones, widely spaced, which may represent the remains of a ring of diameter approximately 35m. For further details see Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), chs 7, 8 and 10, and references therein.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), Section 3.3.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), chs 7, 8 and 10 and references therein.

Some values quoted where the decimal part is 0 or 5 may only be accurate to about 0.5m, rather than the 0.1m which is implied. For clarification the reader is referred to the site notes in Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), chs. 7, 8 and 10, where “some 2.5m tall” as opposed to “2.5m tall” indicates this lower accuracy.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), Section 3.3.

By a “rectangular setting” we mean three or four erect slabs around 0.5m tall which form the central parts of the sides of a rectangle about 4m × 3m. There are two examples at Kilmartin (AR13) and one at Barbreck (AR3). Two of the three surround large standing stones. For further details see Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), 147–148.

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (hereinafter R.C.A.H.M.S.), Argyll: An inventory of the ancient monuments 3: Mull, Tiree, Coll and northern Argyll (Edinburgh, 1980), no. 105.

Ibid., no. 111.

Ruggles C.L.N. , “A critical examination of the megalithic lunar observatories”, in Ruggles C.L.N. Whittle A.W.R. (eds), Astronomy and society in Britain during the period 4000–1500 B.C. (BAR 88, Oxford, 1981), 153–209, p. 179 and Figure 4.4.

Orr J. , “Standing stones and other relics in Mull”, Transactions of the Glasgow Archaeological Society, ix (1937), 128–34, pp. 132–3.

R.C.A.H.M.S., op. cit. (ref. 19), no. 109.

“Megalithic astronomy: Indications in standing stones”, Vistas in astronomy, vii (1966), 1–57, Figure 7.

Ordnance Survey archaeological records (hereinafter O.S.A.R.), NM 45 SW, no. 10.

R.C.A.H.M.S., op. cit. (ref. 19), no. 101(3).

M'Laughlin T. , “Notice on monoliths in the island of Mull”, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (hereinafter P.S.A.S.), v (1865), 46–52, p. 49.

Cowie T. G. , “Excavations at Kintraw, Argyll, 1979”, Glasgow archaeological journal, vii (1980), 27–31.

Ruggles C.L.N. , “A reassessment of the high precision megalithic lunar sightlines, 1: Backsights, indicators and the archaeological status of the sightlines”, Archaeoastronomy, no. 4 (1982), S21–40, Line 19.

O.S.A.R., NM 80 SE, no. 42.

For further details see Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), 148.

Thom A. , Megalithic lunar observatories (Oxford, 1971), 46.

For more details see Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), 149.

Campbell M. Sandeman M. , “Mid-Argyll: A field survey of the historic and prehistoric monuments”, P.S.A.S., xcv (1961), 1–125, no. 175.

See R.C.A.H.M.S., Argyll: An inventory of the ancient monuments 1: Kintyre (Edinburgh, 1971), no. 143.

Thom A. Thom A.S. , “A reconsideration of the lunar sites in Britain”, Journal for the history of astronomy, ix (1978), 170–9, p. 173 and Figure 2.

Atkinson R.J.C. , “Comments on the archaeological status of some of the sites”, Appendix 4.2 to Ruggles C.L.N. , “A critical examination of the megalithic lunar observatories”, in Ruggles Whittle (eds), Astronomy and society in Britain during the period 4000–1500 B.C., Site 38.

O.S.A.R., NR 75 SE, no. 1.

Burl , op. cit. (ref. 12), 66.

Henshall A. , The chambered tombs of Scotland, 2 (Edinburgh, 1972), site ARG 27.

R.C.A.H.M.S., op. cit. (ref. 35), no. 153.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), 185.

R.C.A.H.M.S., op. cit. (ref. 35), no. 34.

Ibid., no. 151.

Ibid., Fig. 34.

Contrast the decision made by the R.C.A.H.M.S. (op. cit. (ref. 19), no. 109) and by the present author in 1976 (ref. 1, p. 127 and Table 7.1) with that made in the present paper (Tables 2 & 3).

For further details see Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), 143, and references therein.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), Table 7.1, 8.1 or 10.1.

Ibid., p. 127 and Table 7.1.

Ibid., in the final section of the appropriate chapter (7, 8 or 10).

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 8), Figure 7.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), Line 182 (see p. 162).

Ibid., Line 186 (see p. 162).

Ibid., Line 242.

Ibid., Tables 7.1, 8.1, 10.1 and 11.2.

Ibid., ch. 4.

Ibid., Tables 7.1, 8.1 and 10.1.

Ibid., Section 3.2.

Ibid. 63.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 3), Figure 9(b).

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), Figure 4.4.

Ibid. 128, and references therein.

R.C.A.H.M.S., op. cit. (ref. 19), no. 113.

Patrick J. , “A reassessment of the lunar observatory hypothesis for the Kilmartin stones”, Archaeoastronomy, no. 1 (1979), S78–85.

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), Line 168.

Ibid., Line 185.

Ibid., Line 167.

R.C.A.H.M.S., Argyll: An inventory of the ancient monuments 2: Lorn (Edinburgh, 1975), no. 114.

The well-known Beacharr long cairn is situated some 30m north of the standing stone. See Henshall , op. cit. (ref. 40).

M'Laughlin , op. cit. (ref. 27).

Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 1), chs 12 and 13.

Ibid., ch. 1 and Section 13.4.

Ibid. 243.

Thom , op. cit. (ref. 32), Sections 5.2 and 5.6. At both Kilmartin (Temple Wood) and Duncracaig Thom proposes that what we have identified as the secondary indication was set up to indicate the major standstill Moon to the north. However at Kilmartin he uses notch A₁ as foresight, rather than the direction indicated by stones S₅S₄, S₁ or S₃S₂ themselves. See also Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 21), Section 4.4.4 and Figure 4.3.