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Cup-marked stone is a prehistoric carved stone located in Ards, County Down, Northern Ireland. The monument consists of a natural rock surface bearing cup marks, a form of rock art characteristic of the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods in the British Isles. Cup marks are small, roughly circular depressions pecked into stone surfaces, often found in isolation or in groups, and their precise purpose remains subject to scholarly debate, though they may have held ritual, territorial, or astronomical significance. This example contributes to the archaeological record of prehistoric symbolic expression in Ulster and represents an important element of the region's early material culture.
Cup-marked stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6831. View the official record →
Cup-marked stone is a prehistoric carved stone located in Ards, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 6831.
Cup-marked stone dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a cup-marked stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cup-marked stone is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 6831.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Windmill stump (c.f. ihr 2926 for details) (1.2 km), Oyster midden (1.9 km), Raised rath (2.6 km).
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Research the area around Cup-marked stone