Prehistoric carvings of red deer found in Scottish neolithic tomb

Amateur archaeologist exploring Dunchraigaig cairn found animal depictions by chance

Severin Carrell Scotland editor
@severincarrell
Mon 31 May 2021 09.02 EDT

Delicate prehistoric carvings of adult red deer, thought to be the oldest of their type in the UK, have been found in a tomb in one of Scotland’s most famous neolithic sites.

The carvings, which depict two male red deer with full-grown antlers and several thought to be young deer, were discovered by chance in Kilmartin Glen in Argyll, home to one of the UK’s richest accumulations of neolithic and bronze age sites.

Archaeologists estimate the carvings are between 4,000 and 5,000 years old, a period which spans the neolithic and early bronze age, and are the first in the UK located alongside prehistoric cup and ring markings found throughout Kilmartin Glen.

The deer were found by Hamish Fenton, an amateur archaeologist from Oxfordshire who was visiting the area, and who was exploring Dunchraigaig cairn, a bronze age burial mound, one evening.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/may/31/prehistoric-carvings-of-red-deer-found-in-scottish-neolithic-tomb