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Greenbank is a ring-ditch located 250 metres north of Greenbank in Aberdeenshire. Ring-ditches are circular or near-circular earthworks comprising a ditch with an internal or external bank, typically marking the remains of Bronze Age burial monuments or ceremonial structures. This example sits on bedrock of the Appin Group, Neoproterozoic deposits dominated by graphitic and calcareous pelites with calcsilicate rocks and psammites, geological formations which characterise much of the Cairngorms region and would have influenced how the monument's builders dug and maintained the ditch.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11506, acknowledging its significance as evidence of early Bronze Age activity in Aberdeenshire. Ring-ditches of this type were constructed from around 2000 BC onwards and often contained cremated remains or served ritual functions within contemporary communities. The presence of this monument contributes to understanding Bronze Age settlement and ceremonial practice across northeast Scotland.
The landscape around Greenbank would have offered mixed terrain, with the underlying geology creating both opportunities and constraints for construction and later agriculture that may have affected the monument's survival and visibility.
Greenbank, ring-ditch 250m N of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11506. View the official record →
Greenbank is a ring-ditch located 250 metres north of Greenbank in Aberdeenshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11506.
Greenbank, ring-ditch 250m N 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 SM11506.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Greenbank, ring-ditch 365m N of (0.1 km), Delachuper, farmstead 310m N of (0.9 km), Bridge on Old Military Road over Allt Damh Burn (1.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Greenbank, ring-ditch 250m N 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.
Greenbank, ring-ditch 250m N of stands on Appin Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is graphitic pelite, calcareous pelite, calcsilicate-rock and psammite.