© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Braeval Farm cupmarks is a Bronze Age rock art site located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The monument consists of a series of cupmarks—shallow, cup-shaped depressions pecked into the rock surface—found 260 metres north-north-west of Braeval Farm. These carvings represent a widespread artistic tradition that flourished in northern Britain during the Bronze Age, typically dating from around 2000 to 1500 BC, though the precise age of this particular site remains undetermined.
The cupmarks are carved into an unnamed felsic igneous intrusion of Silurian age, part of the ancient bedrock underlying Inverness-shire. This hard, crystalline rock would have presented a considerable technical challenge to Bronze Age craftspeople working with stone or bone tools, yet the deliberately formed depressions demonstrate both skill and sustained effort. The choice of this particular rock outcrop for artistic expression may relate to its visibility across the landscape or its geological distinctiveness.
The site is recorded in the national archaeological record and protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11796. Cupmark sites across the Highlands often occur in isolation or in small groups, and their purpose remains debated amongst scholars, though interpretations include territorial marking, ritual or ceremonial significance, or astronomical alignment.
Braeval Farm, cupmarks 260m NNW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11796. View the official record →
Braeval Farm cupmarks is a Bronze Age rock art site located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11796.
Braeval Farm, cupmarks 260m NNW of is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM11796.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mid Craggie, cairn 90m E of (0.6 km), An Bathach, promontory fort 300m ENE of (1.3 km), Craggie Cottage, settlement cairns and field system 600m SW of (1.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Braeval Farm, cupmarks 260m NNW of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Braeval Farm, cupmarks 260m NNW of stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is felsic-rock.