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Shien Hill is a cairn located in Perthshire, Scotland, and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The monument sits upon bedrock of mafic lava and tuff of Devonian age, part of the Unnamed Extrusive Rocks formation that characterises this region of central Scotland. This volcanic geology would have been a significant landscape feature available to prehistoric communities constructing the cairn.
Cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and served as burial monuments or territorial markers. Built from stone gathered across the local landscape, they represent substantial communal effort and reflect the social organisation and values of their builders. The Devonian volcanic bedrock would have provided ready sources of suitable stone for construction.
As a scheduled monument, Shien Hill is recognised for its archaeological importance and protected from unauthorised disturbance. The site contributes to understanding Bronze Age settlement patterns and ritual practices across Perthshire, a region rich in prehistoric monuments. Its preservation allows future study to enhance knowledge of this significant period in Scotland's past.
Shien Hill,cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1581. View the official record →
Shien Hill is a cairn located in Perthshire, Scotland, and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1581.
Shien Hill,cairn 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 SM1581.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moredun Hall, tower-house remains (7.9 km), Moncreiffe Hill, fort 800m NW of Moncreiffe House (8 km), Rhynd,old parish church 250m SW of Easter Rhynd (8.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Shien Hill,cairn'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.
Shien Hill,cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.