Scheduled MonumentsScotlandMeall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of
Cup-and-ring marked rock

Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of

Scotland
HES SM10406
Site type
Cup-and-ring marked rock
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Meall Odhar is a cup-and-ring marked rock located in Perthshire, Scotland, at approximately 880 metres south-west of its reference point. The monument consists of a single stone bearing the characteristic prehistoric cup-and-ring carvings that appear across northern Britain and are typically associated with Bronze Age communities. These motifs—hemispherical depressions surrounded by concentric rings pecked into the stone surface—remain archaeologically enigmatic, though they may have held ritual, territorial or astronomical significance for their makers.

The rock sits upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, a Neoproterozoic sequence of psammite, semipelite and pelite formed during Scotland's early geological history. This metamorphic foundation provides the solid base necessary for the preservation of such ancient rock art over millennia, though the specific stone itself was chosen by Bronze Age carvers for its accessibility and workability relative to the surrounding landscape.

The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10406, reflecting its importance as evidence of prehistoric artistic practice and belief systems in upland Perthshire. Cup-and-ring marked rocks of this type remain among Scotland's most intriguing Neolithic and Bronze Age survivals, their precise meanings and purposes continuing to invite scholarly enquiry and public fascination.

Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10406. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of?

Meall Odhar is a cup-and-ring marked rock located in Perthshire, Scotland, at approximately 880 metres south-west of its reference point.

Who is responsible for protecting Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of?

Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW 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 SM10406.

What other scheduled monuments are near Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Meall Odhar, peat stores and trackway 560m SW of (0.4 km), Cragganester,farmsteads,field systems,shielings and roadways,N of (0.9 km), Creag Dhubh, shielings 400m W of (2.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of

Meall Odhar, cup-and-ring marked rock 880m SW of stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.