Cracking the code of the cups: geospatial analysis of Scottish cup and ring marks

Emily Pickering, Gabriel Schussler
Today, there is emerging consensus among academics regarding the significance of cup and ring marks in their landscape setting, with theories about why and how they were used still highly contested. Many researchers have noticed an apparent association of cup-and-ring marks to contemporaneous ceremonial and burial monuments, including Richard Bradley. However, this 'association' has never been tested statistically. The proposed research attempts to correct this knowledge gap. Was there a deliberate positioning of megalithic monuments in association with cup-and-ring marks by prehistoric people? Or, is the ritual landscape merely the result of monument aggregation in certain locations over time? Preliminary results will be included.