<< Other Photo Pages >> Cat Stane (Kirkliston) - Standing Stone (Menhir) in Scotland in Midlothian
Submitted by feorag on Wednesday, 15 January 2014 Page Views: 12588
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Cat Stane (Kirkliston) Alternative Name: Carlowie Cat StaneCountry: Scotland County: Midlothian Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Nearest Town: Kirkliston Nearest Village: Turnhouse
Map Ref: NT1489374373
Latitude: 55.954814N Longitude: 3.364593W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Standing Stone (Menhir) in Midlothian
The Cat Stane lies within the grounds of Edinburgh Airport to the north of the terminal between Runway 24 and the River Almond. Standing about 1.3m tall, and carved with Latin lettering, the stone is believed to be a neolithic marker re-used later on. Surrounding the site are graves and cists from the neolithic through to the 6th century.
The lettering is badly worn, but is thought to read "In oc tumulo iacit Vetta f. Victi-", suggesting that it marks the burial place of an important female from the Votadini tribe. In 1863, J.Y. Simpson speculated that it marked the grave of none other than the grandfather of Hengist and Horsa!
The site has been excavated at least twice, firstly in the 19th century by Simpson, and more recently in the 1960s when the airport was expanded. It's due to be excavated again prior to the construction of a rail link to the airport. Even though it is a scheduled monument, the stone is likely to be removed, possibly to a museum. On the bright side, this does mean that it will be possible to see it close up.
References:
Simpson, J.Y., 1863, "On the Cat-stane, Kirklison: Is it not the tomb of the grandfather of Hengist and Horsa?, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vi, pp. 119-169.
Roden, A., 2006, "Tunnel site between rock and a tarred place", Edinburgh Evening News, 19th January 2006.
Also see Canmore site no. 50719.
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