History comes alive at ancient Galloway site
Visitors to the ancient chambered cairn of Boreland in Knockman Wood, Galloway can now step back in time to see how the ruin once looked around 6000 years ago.
An enormous pile of stones is all that remains of the cairn built by the Neolithic farming pioneers who made the area their home but now an innovative new visualisation allows people to imagine what the cairn would have looked like in the past.
Hundreds of photographs taken from drone have been used to create a 3D model of the tomb – a technique known as photogrammetry. The full textured model of the site is used as the foundation for reimagining the monument in its original state and how the cairn may have been used by those who built it.
Working with professional archaeologist and artist Marcus Abbott, FLS has produced an online video that can be accessed via a QR code on the interpretation panel at the site or viewed on the FLS website.
FLS Archaeologist Matt Ritchie said:
“This visualisation allows us to imagine what this Clyde Cairn - a type of tomb characteristic of southwest Scotland – would have looked like when it was first built.
“The architecture suggests its use as both a tomb for the dead, where people placed the deceased in the chambers within the cairn, and a space for the living, where people could pay their respects within the forecourt.
“Archaeological studies of these chambered cairns can reveal only the bare bones of their story, leaving much to the imagination. But they were built by a vibrant ancient society with beliefs, traditions and practices that would seem very strange to us today.
“Watching the video and seeing the cairn come to life will hopefully get visitors at the site – and those visiting online – curious and questioning whether the ceremonies that accompanied the placing of the dead in these monuments were small family affairs or large communal gatherings? Were there drums and chanting, dancing and trance-like states? Perhaps there were grand fire-lit feasts with songs, speeches and toasts? Or were there solemn torch-lit processions, arcane rituals and strange incantations?”
Of the cairns that survive across Scotland, some remain closed, their secrets hidden beneath huge mounds of stone, such as at Boreland in Galloway. Others bear the ravages of time, their features masked by rubble and collapse. Or have disturbed by treasure-hunters, their chambers ripped open and exposed. Many more have simply been lost over time.
Matt added:
“The reconstruction of Boreland really helps us appreciate and understand the remains of the chambered cairn as it survives today.
“It can be difficult to connect with these people and communities from so long ago, but their lands are our land and by reimagining and appreciating these ancient structures that they left behind, their story is told and can connect us today with the lives of our ancestors.”
Background:
Forestry and Land Scotland tells the story of these ancient chambered cairns in its archaeological learning resource, The Bare Bones (2023).
Writing and illustrating the booklet involved modern laser scan survey, innovative drone photography and creative archaeological visualisation, all combining to support outdoor archaeological learning and provide resources to download.
How do visit
You can see the new video online – and onsite the next time you’re in Galloway enjoying Knockman Wood. This old oakwood is a haven for both wildlife and archaeological sites. The yellow Woodland Trail will take you through oak and hazel woodland toward the ancient chambered cairn.
Learn more: Knockman Wood | Forestry and Land Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) manages forests and land owned by Scottish Ministers in a way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry; conserves and enhances the environment; delivers benefits for people and nature; and supports Scottish Ministers in their stewardship of Scotland's national forests and land.
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