Scheduled MonumentsScotlandTurin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock
Iron Age · Forts and cup-and-ring marked rock

Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock

Scotland
HES SM142
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Forts and cup-and-ring marked rock
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Turin Hill is an Iron Age fortified settlement in Angus, Scotland, comprising two forts positioned on sandstone bedrock of the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group. The site commands views across the surrounding landscape, typical of defensive settlements from the first millennium BC. The fortifications would have served to protect valuable resources and establish territorial control during a period of increasing social stratification in Scotland.

The archaeological significance of Turin Hill extends beyond its Iron Age occupation. Cup-and-ring marked rock is present at the site, indicating much earlier use during the Bronze Age. These mysterious rock carvings—simple circular depressions with concentric rings pecked into the stone surface—remain one of prehistory's enigmatic expressions, their exact purpose still debated by archaeologists. The persistence of human activity across these millennia suggests the site held enduring importance within the local landscape.

Turin Hill is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM142. The combination of Iron Age defensive structures with Bronze Age rock art makes this location a palimpsest of prehistoric and protohistoric settlement, reflecting the changing patterns of occupation and significance across more than two thousand years of human use.

Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM142. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock?

Turin Hill is an Iron Age fortified settlement in Angus, Scotland, comprising two forts positioned on sandstone bedrock of the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM142.

What period does Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock date from?

Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a forts and cup-and-ring marked rock. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock?

Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock 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 SM142.

What other scheduled monuments are near Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Westerton,standing stone 120m W of (2.6 km), Rob's Reed, homestead 485m ESE of Home Farm (2.7 km), Blackgate Smithy,stone circle (3.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock'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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock

Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock stands on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.