Nearest town: Lochgilphead
Nearest village: Kilmartin
Map reference: NR 826971
There
are three stone cists, with axe and boat carvings
(136Kb)
Ri Cruin cairn is located in the Kilmartin Valley, near Temple
Wood stone circle and S of Nether Largie
cairns.
Three stone cists were exposed in this Bronze Age cairn when stones
were removed from its body. Some of the cist slabs are grooved and rebated;
the southern cist has axe carvings on it, and a carving which could be interpreted
as a boat. Perhaps, as Aubrey Burl suggests, the boat represents a vessel to carry the dead
to the other world. Appropriately, as the axe is a wood-working tool, the
north cist's slabs at Ri Cruin are grooved to fit together like a wooden
box.
About 1 km (0.6 miles) SE from Ri Cruin lies Dunchraigaig
cairn, on A816 road to Lochgilphead.
There
are three stone cists, with axe and boat carvings
(136Kb)
