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rockhopper wrote: Looking at the Scorhill thread, I see once again a reference to a 'robbed cairn', and the 'treasure seekers' theory. Perhaps its time to take a look at the robbed cairn hypothsis objectively.
During the last several decades, many cairns have been excavated, but to date, as far as I know, no treasure has been found beneath any of them. It seems unlikely in the extreme that anyone wishing to conceal treasure would do so under a large pile of stones that proclaims 'X marks the spot'. Hoards are generally found in inconspicuos places, and only recently by the use of metal detectors. The aim of those concealing treasure was to do just that, conceal it, and not announce it's presence by a very obvious marker.
Doubtless over the centuries, greedy and misguided individuals have dug up cairns to seek elusive riches, but I suspect in almost every case their efforts were in vain. So what are the supposedly 'robbed' cairns?
Over the past 20 years I have encountered many of these enigmatic 'formations' (for want of a better word) and now believe they are monuments in their own right. For if ANY of them had concealed treasure, there would'nt be a cairn left standing in these islands. Think about it. Great pile of treasure under a cairn...Where's the next one?
Once again we blindly follow the academics. Some bright spark came up with the robbed cairn theory, and to this day it has never been challenged. They're not 'robbed 'cairns at all. They are something else entirely.
A lot of these people may have gone to university, but that makes them privileged, not intelligent.
This is an interesting post which throws up a lots of questions for debate. A university degree does not necessarily equate to intelligence its true but surely it is impossible to acquire one without also acquiring a good deal of information and the confidence to analyse it.
Next is the definition of cairn - these two seem to be the most generally accepted:
A mound of rough stones built as a memorial or landmark, typically on a hilltop or skyline.
A prehistoric burial mound made of stones.
If cairns were considered on a par with long and round barrows there is evidence that many barrows were disturbed in the 19th century by excavators no doubt looking for precious burial goods as discovered in the Bush Barrow by William Cunnington. Cunnington together with Sir Richard Colt Hoare excavated 465 Bronze Age barrows, their work and finds are documented in the excellent Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes.
Many of the Cotswold long barrows have been partially destroyed by amateur excavations that have been little more than vandalism - I've witnessed many badly excavated misshapen long barrows. Sorry if I've digressed away from cairns but as far as the ones deemed to be 'prehistoric burial mounds' go I can't see why they wouldn't have been fair game in less enlightened times.
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