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3 October 2024

Exhibition showcasing Scottish rock art to open

An exhibition celebrating rock art that has been discovered across Scotland will open on selected dates at Aberdour Castle from Saturday 5 October to Wednesday 8 January.

A woman with long blonde hair wearing a black fleece with the Historic Environment Scotland logo on it stands facing the camera in a room with dark wooden floorboard and wooden beams across the ceiling above. Behind her are display boards covered in text and images of rock art across Scotland.

‘Carving Out Connections: Scotland’s Rock Art’ draws on the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) archives, looking to trace its connections through time and place.

Rock art is one of the most fascinating and mysterious aspects of Scotland’s past. Rock art refers to images, symbols, and marks that have been painted or engraved onto natural rock surfaces. People have been creating rock art across the world for thousands of years. It can be found deep within caves, in rock shelters, and on outcrops and boulders in the open landscape.

Claire Whitbread, Exhibitions Manager at Historic Environment Scotland, said:

“Pre-historic Rock Art is one of Scotland's greatest mysteries. Carvings are thought to have been created up to 6,000 years ago, with pieces discovered every year - almost a thousand have been recorded in the last decade alone - and it is likely that many further carvings have yet to be found.

After a successful run at Fort George, we look forward to bringing this exhibition to Aberdour so that even more people can discover the beauty and mystery of Scotland’s rock art.

‘Carving out Connections: Scotland’s Rock Art’ is open at Aberdour Castle on selected dates from Saturday 5 October 2024 to Wednesday 8 January 2025.

Entry to the exhibition is included with admission to Aberdour Castle. Tickets can be booked online in advance and entry is free for Historic Scotland members.

The exhibition is only accessible via a staircase.

About Historic Environment Scotland (HES) 

  • We are the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. It is at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future, investigating and recording architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes across Scotland and caring for more than 300 properties of national importance. We are also the lead on delivering Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.
  • Historic Scotland, Scran, Canmore, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle, and Edinburgh Castle are sub-brands of HES.
  • View our press pack and keep up to date by registering to receive our media releases. Already registered? You can unsubscribe at any time by following the unsubscribe link, included in every email.

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For further information, please contact:

Laura Ely
Historic Environment Scotland Media Office
07721 959 962
communications@hes.scot

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