Region : Grampian District : Gordon Town or village : Daviot Grid Reference : NJ 747 288 Period : 3000-500 BC Loanhead of Daviot RECUMBENT STONE CIRCLE, CREMATION CEMETERY

On a hillcrest, this fine recumbent stone circle is 20.5m in diameter. It consists of eight stones, a 12-ton recumbent now split in two by frost and its two flankers. The recumbent, at the SSW of the ring, lays in line with the major southern moonset. The inner face of the stone beside the east flanker bears a vertical line of 12 cupmarks. The central kerbed cairn and other little cairns around the uprights were probably built long after the stone circle. During excavation in 1934, a cremation cemetery with several deposits of human bone was found a few metres to the south-east of the circle. At the centre, beneath the area where the funeral pyre had been lit, the partially cremated body of a 40 year-old man was found. His arms were stretched out in front of him and his hands clasped a stone pendant. Thirty-one people were cremated and buried here in pits or pottery urns. Eight were children between 3 and 6. Around 500 BC, after the cemetery went out of use, it was used as a bronze smithing area. In care of Historic Scotland

Other recumbent stone circles ------------------ Aikey Brae Aquhorthies Balquhain Berrybrae Cothiemuir Wood Easter Aquhorthies Eslie the Greater Eslie the Lesser Loanhead of Daviot Midmar Kirk Nine Stanes (Garrol Wood) Old Keig Strichen Sunhoney Tomnaverie Tyrebagger (Dyce) Other sites in Grampian ---------------------- Aikey Brae Aquhorthies Auquhollie Balquhain Berrybrae Broomend of Crichie Cothiemuir Wood Cullerlie Culsh Easter Aquhorthies Eslie the Greater Eslie the Lesser Glassel Lagmore West (Upper Lagmore) Loanhead of Daviot Memsie Midmar Kirk Nine Stanes (Garrol Wood) Old Keig Raedykes South Ythsie Strichen Sunhoney Tomnaverie Tyrebagger (Dyce)