Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Aberdeenshire

Birnie Kirk is a 12th century parish church, which was the first cathedral of the Bishop of Moray and so is one of the oldest in Scotland to have been in continuous use. It is thought that the Norman building was built to replace an earlier, 6th century, Celtic church. The building is rectangular with a square, short chancel, which is separated from the nave by a rounded Norman chancel arch. The kirk was the seat of the Bishops of Moray from 1107 to 1184. Until 1322 when the seat moved to Elgin, it served as a cathedral, the seat being rotated between Birnie, Kinneddar, and Spynie.

Eight Pictish symbol stones have been found at Rhynie, including the "Rhynie Man", a 1.8 m tall boulder carved with a bearded man carrying an axe, possibly a representation of the Celtic god Esus. The "Rhynie Man" now stands inside the headquarters of Aberdeenshire Council in Aberdeen. In 2011 archaeological excavations at Rhynie uncovered a substantial fortified settlement dating to the early medieval period. Archaeologists working at the excavation have speculated that the settlement may have been a royal site occupied by Pictish kings. It has been suggested that Rhynie may have been a centre for royal assemblies between the sixth and eighth centuries. Some of the stones were found among the foundations of the old church. The Aberdeenshire area must have been a home for the Picts. Around 20% of all recorded Pictish symbol stones in Scotland have been found in Aberdeenshire.

Eight Pictish symbol stones have been found at Rhynie, including the "Rhynie Man", a 1.8 m tall boulder carved with a bearded man carrying an axe, possibly a representation of the Celtic god Esus. The "Rhynie Man" now stands inside the headquarters of Aberdeenshire Council in Aberdeen. In 2011 archaeological excavations at Rhynie uncovered a substantial fortified settlement dating to the early medieval period. Archaeologists working at the excavation have speculated that the settlement may have been a royal site occupied by Pictish kings. It has been suggested that Rhynie may have been a centre for royal assemblies between the sixth and eighth centuries. Some of the stones were found among the foundations of the old church. Here is a beast to the left, a z-rod and a "mirror" to the right.

The recumbent stone circle (RSC) at Cothiemuir Hill is also known as ‘Devil's Hoofmark’ because of the shell marks on the recumbent stone. The circle encloses a well-preserved cairn and originally consisted of up to thirteen stones, but now only eight. The large recumbent stone and the flanks are particularly impressive. The horizontal stone is said to weigh over 20 tonnes and the flanks are around 2.70 m high. The circle has a diameter of around 20 metres and was probably erected over 4,000 years ago on the site of an earlier burial mound with a central chamber.

The recumbent stone circle (RSC) at Cothiemuir Hill is also known as ‘Devil's Hoofmark’ because of the shell marks on the recumbent stone. The circle encloses a well-preserved cairn and originally consisted of up to thirteen stones, but now only eight. The large recumbent stone and the flanks are particularly impressive. The horizontal stone is said to weigh over 20 tonnes and the flanks are around 2.70 m high. The circle has a diameter of around 20 metres and was probably erected over 4,000 years ago on the site of an earlier burial mound with a central chamber.

The first missionaries to arrive here were the Culdees'. It is possible that they were the followers of St. Ninian and his missionaries from Whithorn. At the beginning of the 12th century, Queen Margaret of Scotland imposed reforms. The 12 Culdees became a Prior and 11 canons of the Augustinian Order. The tower and some parts of the present church date from this period. Malcolm III gave a grant of land to the Cathedral of St. Andrew's (Fife) in thanksgiving for victory over his enemies in 1078, and the Romanesque style of architecture suggests that the building was completed early in the second half of the 12th Century. At that time the church building may have been a dual purpose place of worship: a parish Church for the inhabitants who stood in the nave and a conventual building for the canons who occupied the Chancel. By the early 16th Century the Priory entered into a period of decline. Fire gutted the Priory buildings and debt ended its existence. The church now became the Parish Church. The structure has been altered several times, including post-Reformation (around 1690), and in 1822, 1851 and again in 1921

The stone circle of Loanhead of Daviot is a recumbent stone circle (= RSC). The RSC is characterized by a "recumbent stone" accompanied by two standing, tall, "flank stones" that are located inside or near the circle. The circle consists of eight stones plus the accompanying stones on either side of the 12-ton "resting stone". The height of the stones in the circle increases towards the resting stone. The circle has had a detached interior lined with stones since the end of the 3rd millennium. It contained broken pottery and deposits of cremated remains. There were ceremonial activities here for about 15 centuries, from about 3000 BC, when the stone circle was built, until about 1500 BC, when the subsequent cremation cemetery fell into disuse. Next to the circle, within a low stone enclosure, lies a later cremation burial. Its central pit held the partially burnt bones of a man. 20 pits with cremated remains, some in urns, the rest in small pits, were found around it. They were from 31 people, including children.

The stone circle of Loanhead of Daviot is a recumbent stone circle (= RSC). The RSC is characterized by a "recumbent stone" accompanied by two standing, tall, "flank stones" that are located inside or near the circle. The circle consists of eight stones plus the accompanying stones on either side of the 12-ton "resting stone". The height of the stones in the circle increases towards the resting stone. The circle has had a detached interior lined with stones since the end of the 3rd millennium. It contained broken pottery and deposits of cremated remains. There were ceremonial activities here for about 15 centuries, from about 3000 BC, when the stone circle was built, until about 1500 BC, when the subsequent cremation cemetery fell into disuse.

The stone circle of Loanhead of Daviot is a recumbent stone circle (= RSC). The RSC is characterized by a "recumbent stone" accompanied by two standing, tall, "flank stones" that are located inside or near the circle. The circle consists of eight stones plus the accompanying stones on either side of the 12-ton "resting stone". The height of the stones in the circle increases towards the resting stone. The circle has had a detached interior lined with stones since the end of the 3rd millennium. It contained broken pottery and deposits of cremated remains. There were ceremonial activities here for about 15 centuries, from about 3000 BC, when the stone circle was built, until about 1500 BC, when the subsequent cremation cemetery fell into disuse.

The stone circle of Loanhead of Daviot is a recumbent stone circle (= RSC). The RSC is characterized by a "recumbent stone" accompanied by two standing, tall, "flank stones" that are located inside or near the circle. The circle consists of eight stones plus the accompanying stones on either side of the 12-ton "resting stone". The height of the stones in the circle increases towards the resting stone. The circle has had a detached interior lined with stones since the end of the 3rd millennium. It contained broken pottery and deposits of cremated remains. There were ceremonial activities here for about 15 centuries, from about 3000 BC, when the stone circle was built, until about 1500 BC, when the subsequent cremation cemetery fell into disuse.

Dyce Old Parish Church, built in the 13th or 14th century, stands on a promontory in a bend of the River Don and from the north side of the kirkyard the ground falls steeply to the river. The ruined building is a simple rectangle and hosts the Pictish Dyce Symbol Stones. This carving is probably a century older than the neighboring cross slab (prev upl)

Dyce Old Parish Church, built in the 13th or 14th century, stands on a promontory in a bend of the River Don and from the north side of the kirkyard the ground falls steeply to the river. The ruined building is a simple rectangle and hosts the Pictish Dyce Symbol Stones. The cross slab is probably from the late 800s.

The Old Parish Church, built in the 13th or 14th century, stands on a promontory in a bend of the River Don and from the north side of the kirkyard the ground falls steeply to the river. The ruined building is a simple rectangle

At 131 kilometres, the Scottish River Don is one of the longest rivers in Scotland. At 1870 kilometres, its Russian namesake is one of the longest rivers in Europe.