Prehistoric rock art 190m south west of Middleton Dean promontory fort

Summary

A rock art panel bearing a large number of cup motifs, some with rings, arcs and linear grooves of Neolithic/early Bronze Age date.

Reasons for Designation

The prehistoric rock art 190m south west of Middleton Dean promontory fort is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Survival: despite susceptibility to natural weathering, it is reasonably well preserved with the survival of large numbers of well-defined motifs;
* Documentation: ritual and religious sites of Prehistoric Britain are without contemporary documentation and hence the value of the archaeological remains as our only evidence of their belief systems is enhanced;
* Diversity: while a small number of motifs display associated rings, arcs or grooves, the majority of motifs are simple cups; the focus on this individual motif at the expense of a wider variety of motifs contributes to its importance;
* Potential: it will inform our knowledge of prehistoric society through individual study of its motifs and carving style, and through an increased understanding of the circumstances in which rock art was created and used;
* Rarity: this panel occupies an unusual location situated within the igneous rocks of the Cheviot Hills and enhances its importance;
* Group value: taken together with a number of other scheduled Bronze Age monuments in the vicinity, it will enhance our understanding of Bronze Age ritual and funerary practice.

History

The term prehistoric rock art is most commonly applied to a specific style of carvings created in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age (approximately 3800 BC to 1500 BC). This type of carving shares a limited set of motifs, with numerous variations around the main themes, and is found throughout northern Europe in a wide range of contexts, from isolated natural outcrops to burial cairns and standing stones. The most common form of motifs are the simple ‘cup mark’ (a shallow bowl-shaped depression a few centimetres across) and the ‘cup and ring’ (a cup mark surrounded by one or more concentric circular grooves); many carvings also incorporate or are framed within linear grooves. Other shapes and patterns such as keyholes and rosettes also occur, but are less frequent. Motifs may occur singly, in small groups, or may cover extensive areas of rock surface. The exact meaning of the designs remains unknown and a wide range of interpretations have been suggested, but they appear to be abstract and held some unknown, possibly sacred meaning for those who created and observed them. Over 5000 separate rock art sites are known in Britain of which more than half are in England and while some examples do occur further south, they are mainly confined to the upland areas of the north.

This prehistoric rock art panel was discovered in the late C20 and was re-surveyed by the Northumberland and Durham Rock Art Project (NADRAP).

Details

The panel (ERA 216) is located on a high, level promontory formed by the confluence of the Middleton Dene Burn and the Lilburn Burn. This area lies to the west of the Fell Sandstone areas (where most of the prehistoric rock art in Northumberland is located) in the igneous rocks of the Cheviot Hills. The panel is formed by a sandstone boulder oriented north to south and which measures 1.9m by 1.2m. The eastern side of the boulder has at least twelve cups, one cup and ring, one cup and arc and three cups with grooves; all of these motifs are heavily pecked and lie beneath turf cover. The top and the western side of the panel bears about twenty deep cups with deep grooves; some of the grooves may be natural in origin but may have been artificially enhanced.

Extent of scheduling: this is defined as a circle with a diameter of 5m in order to include a sample of the archaeologically sensitive surrounding ground.

Sources

Books and journals
Mazel, et al (eds), Art as Metaphor: The Prehistoric Rock-Art of Britain, (2007)

Websites
England's Rock Art, accessed from http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/era/section/panel/overview.jsf?eraId=216

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