Aberdeen City HER - NJ90SE0002 - TULLOS CAIRN

Main Details

Primary ReferenceNJ90SE0002
NameTULLOS CAIRN
NMRS Card No.NJ90SE2
NMRS Numlink20238
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Incomplete
Details Remains of a large cairn, badly mutilated. This is the largest, most northerly and best preserved cairn, one of four large stone cairns on a ridge on Tullos Hill. They form the remains of an important Bronze Age cemetery, probably dating to the early 2nd millennium BC. Unlike the other three, this cairn is not located on the skyline. Instead it lies on the north flank of a slightly terraced area on Tullos Hill. The original shape of the cairn has been lost as there are several indentations, which may be the result of stone removal or illicit excavations in the past. It measures roughly 20m in diameter and 2.5m high. The naming of the cairns on Tullos Hill is recent. Brown's map of the area in 1777 is the first very detailed map of the area (it is held in the city archives). It reveals that Tullos cairn was so named in 1777 but none of the rest of the cairns had their modern names at that point. Recorded by CFA field survey in 2004 (NJ90SE0586).
Last Update21/11/2024

National Grid Reference: NJ 9590 0410


Easting: 395056, Northing: 803189

CompilerACU
Date of Compilation13/09/2017

Event Details

Event DateEvent Type
1905 Field Survey
1905 Field Observation

Excavations and Surveys


Artefact and Ecofact


Ecofact

Samples 
Palynology 
Ecofact Notes 

Monument Types

Monument Type 1Monument Type 2Monument Type 3OrderProbability
CAIRNS REMAINS OFA100

Google Map for NJ90SE0002


National Status

National Status
Scheduled (under AM + Arch Area Act 1979)

Regional Status

Regional Status
Site of Regional Significance

Photo Details

SourceReferencePhoto TypeFilm TypeDate
AASAAS/87/02/S2/2 Air-oblique Black & White 19/08/1987
AASAAS/88/08/S16/13, 14 Air-oblique Black & White 05/08/1988
AASAAS-01-2-G3-11 Air-oblique Black & White 15/03/2001

Bibliographic Detail

Bib Ref NoTitleAuthorDateOthersEditorPublishedDetailsDate MDate Y
16859TULLOS HILL, ABERDEEN, WALKOVER SURVEY 2004  Report no. 906  2004
20300A GUIDE TO THE HISTORY, ARCHAEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY OF TULLOS HILL 2016     2016
01046ENERGY TRANSITION ZONE PPIP APPLICATION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT CHAPTER 15: CULTURAL HERITAGE 2023     2023

Location

Historic Administrative Area Name Aberdeen
Positional Accuracy Centred at
Buffer Zone 15-20m
Buffer Type Standard
Capture Scale Unknown
Spatial Feature Type Polygon: Known Site Extent

Environment

Constraints Privately owned, access by arrangement - difficult access.
Altitude50
Geology 
Topography Moderate Slope
Aspect 1N
Aspect 2 Open
Current Land Use Ancient Monument
Vegetation
Soil Type 
Hydrology 

Measurements

Plan 
Shape 1
Shape 2
Diameter 
Length 
Width 
Thickness 
Depth 
Area 
Height 

Historic Land Use


Period Details

PeriodOrderProbabilityRadiocarbon DatesDate BuiltDate of DestructionDate of Loss
Bronze Age (2200 BC - 800 BC) A90    
Prehistoric period uncertain A100    

Period Notes

Period Notes

Architect Details

Architect Details

Maritime Archaeology

Nationality 
Craft Type
Departure Place 
Destination 
Manner of Loss
Registration Place 
Associated Goods 
Construction Material
Tonnage 
Tonnage Unit
Depth 
Additional Info