History
Curious numbers
It seems the builders of Cullerlie Stone Circle had a fascination with numbers. The monument features:
- Eight standing stones
- Eight ring cairns
- 11 kerb stones around all but two ring cairns
- 22 kerb stones around the largest ring cairn in the centre
The significance of these numbers is unclear, but it does suggest it was a deliberate design and may have had some spiritual meaning.
A place for the dead
Cremation was a common practice in the Bronze Age, around 2000 BC. The largest cairn in the centre covered a pit containing large chunks of charcoal and some burnt human bone. Five of the rings also contained burnt human bone and charcoal. One scrap of pottery and three flints were also found.
Cullerlie is an unusual site, with few parallels. However it may be best regarded as a rare survival of what once may have been a type of monument common in the lowlands of north-east Scotland.
