Toppled bird hide damages neolithic burial site (1 Viewer)

How can people be so thoughtless? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-44532517

I wish I knew. I can't decide if this has always been happening but the Internet means we have more visibility into the phenomena, or if this is a genuine rise in disrespectfulness, thoughtlessness, and stupidity.

All the stories about people leaving marked trails for selfies or just to goof around, topple ancient piles of stones, breaking natural bridges, etc.

Just disheartening.

Looking at this, to be honest, it may have been a genuine error, can any layman see an ancient cairn here, I can't, it's just a pile of rocks?

I wonder if it was clearly marked as an historic site?


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andyadcock said:

Looking at this, to be honest, it may have been a genuine error, can any layman see an ancient cairn here, I can't, it's just a pile of rocks?

I wonder if it was clearly marked as an historic site?


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Agreed. If it wasn't marked I certainly wouldn't have been thinking cairn. And definitely not thinking of it in terms of a grave marker. The cairns that I come across are typically trail markers.

I'd be surprised if 95% of the general public even know what a cairn is.

It's on the OS map, although that's probably an outdated concept for some: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=6358
They claim it's a bird hide, but what would you watch there?

I don't know how it works elsewhere, but in my experience around here, a site of such importance would have been cordoned-off by a fence, or simply some minimalist wired strung between metal posts. And then likely topped-off with a sign behind plexi, made of metal, or on a bronze plaque.

Or the entire area would be clearly part of a designated park and thus easily understood you don't put your own property on it. I mean, not even a typical 'Murican would put up such an elaborate structure at a regional wilderness, park, or designated historical site. Well, at least not a Californian, anyway...but the rest of the country things we're odd, so there's that. |:S|

Because yes, to be fair...the photos are "just a pile of rocks in a depression," which could easily be explained-away as a natural phenomena unless you're into this sort of stuff.

So my question is: was it clear this entire area is some sort of historic park and also clearly fenced-off from everywhere else so you knew crossing that fence held some significance (at minimum, "private property")?

I can't find any info on whether the site had any protection or signage, but many remote sites like this don't have any special measures. Sometimes there might be some signage pointing out what it is, but other than that people can usually walk up, around and on these monuments. Other larger monuments like castles would usually be protected often with staff to keep an eye on them. Some of the sites in places like Orkney are very well looked after by staff with controlled access.

There's more info about the archaeology here: https://canmore.org.uk/site/13164/carn-glas

CalvinFold said:

I don't know how it works elsewhere, but in my experience around here, a site of such importance would have been cordoned-off by a fence, or simply some minimalist wired strung between metal posts. And then likely topped-off with a sign behind plexi, made of metal, or on a bronze plaque.

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There are way too many prehistoric sites to cordon off. Wandering about on them is (usually) no issue anyway — the digging and moving stones is.

Xenospiza said:

There are way too many prehistoric sites to cordon off. Wandering about on them is (usually) no issue anyway — the digging and moving stones is.

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The trick is then to recognize them, in which case andyadcock's comment stands, unfortunately.

We'd have to hear from the people that put up the tower, that being the case.

CalvinFold said:

The trick is then to recognize them, in which case andyadcock's comment stands, unfortunately.

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It's a common situation in Britain, as stated by Xeno, there are just so many sites like this and it's something that Americans wouldn't be used to looking out for in fairness.

In relation to comments in post 4, It think that many people in the UK would know what a Cairn is if asked, not all obviously but plenty, certainly regular hikers might know.

Some sites are way more obvious than others but to my eye at least, this one isn't at all.



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