Reasons for Designation
Prehistoric rock art is found on natural rock outcrops in many areas of upland
Britain. It is especially common in the north of England in Northumberland,
Durham and North and West Yorkshire. The most common form of decoration is the
`cup and ring' marking where expanses of small cup-like hollows are pecked
into the surface of the rock. These cups may be surrounded by one or more
`rings'. Single pecked lines extending from the cup through the `rings' may
also exist, providing the design with a `tail'. Other shapes and patterns also
occur, but are less frequent. Carvings may occur singly, in small groups, or
may cover extensive areas of rock surface. They date to the Late Neolithic and
Bronze Age periods (2800-c.500 BC) and provide one of our most important
insights into prehistoric `art'. The exact meaning of the designs remains
unknown, but they may be interpreted as sacred or religious symbols.
Frequently they are found close to contemporary burial monuments and the
symbols are also found on portable stones placed directly next to burials or
incorporated in burial mounds. Around 800 examples of prehistoric rock-art
have been recorded in England. This is unlikely to be a realistic reflection
of the number carved in prehistory. Many will have been overgrown or destroyed
in activities such as quarrying. All positively identified prehistoric rock
art sites exhibiting a significant group of designs will normally be
identified as nationally important. The carving on this rock survives well and forms part of the prehistoric
landscape of Ellers Wood.
Details
The monument includes a carved gritstone rock, partly embedded in the slope.
The visible part of the rock measures 1.1m by 0.5m by 0.6m. It is situated in
Dob Park, and lies in Ellers Wood, at the top of the slope between the fence
and Snowden Beck. It is partly covered by a rotten tree stump, and is 12m west
of the path, 4m from the fence, and 37m along the path from the wall corner.
The carving, which is on the north face of the rock, consists of a large
number of cup marks, at least 33 being currently visible, with some grooves
partly enclosing groups of cup marks.
The fence which crosses the area of scheduling is excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath is included. MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 5 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
28080
Legacy System:
RSM
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