An ancient “cursus monument” was discovered at the Tormore site on the Isle of Arran. The archaeologists working at the site think it is likely that people traveled from all over what is today Scotland to the western island around 5,000 years ago to visit this prehistoric temple.

A chambered cairn was discovered at this site in 1909, in which excavators found part of a jet necklace, which determined the area had been associated with the dead. However, now, Mr. Dave Cowley, Rapid Archaeological Mapping Programme Manager at  Historic Environment Scotland , describes the kilometer-long cursus monument as a “cathedral of the day”. Mr. Cowley discovered the new site following a laser scan of  the island of Arran  last year.

Mapping The Ancient Prehistoric Temple

Cursus monuments are Neolithic structures representing some of the oldest prehistoric monumental architecture in the Islands of Britain and Ireland. According to an article in the  Scotsman, this new discovery is helping to reshape  Neolithic history in Scotland  because, “such landmarks [are] usually associated with the east coast.” Mr. Cowley first detected the site last year using Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) technology, and he mapped two lines of roughly parallel mounds, about 30 to 40 centimeters (11.81-15.75 inches inches) high, which extend about a kilometer (0.62 miles) across the Scottish landscape.