Ben Lawers Property Manager Helen Cole pictured with the stone.
The ancient carvings were discovered by rock art enthusiast George Currie. The art is similar to other prehistoric pieces found in the area, consisting of concave depressions known as cup marks or cup and ring marks, which are carved upon rocks. The purpose of the artworks is still unknown.
The newly-discovered rock is unusual because it has more than ninety cup marks and at least four cup and ring marks. A number of linear grooves can also be seen, with some still showing the individual blows of the craftsman’s stone pick. This is a much higher concentration of the markings than is normally found.
Derek Alexander, archaeologist for the National Trust for Scotland, said:
“This is an exciting find as it shows that there remains undiscovered prehistoric rock art to be found in the Scottish hills. More surprising are the quantity and variety of the symbols displayed on this boulder.
“Through both targeted research by professional archaeologists and the work of dedicated amateurs like George Currie we now know that Ben Lawers forms one of the major concentrations cup and ring marks in the Highlands, which suggests it was a very significant landscape in prehistory.”