The Clyde Mystery

Oddly marked stones, carved figures and engraved shells lie at the heart of Andrew Lang's archaeological study. Found at Dunbuie, Dumbuck and Langbank on the Clyde, these unfamiliar objects appeared alongside ordinary tools and other remains. Their discovery raised a dispute over whether they were ancient relics or modern imitations. Lang examines Dr. Robert Munro's case for forgery while arguing that the evidence calls for an open verdict.

His discussion brings archaeology into conversation with folklore. He compares the Clyde finds with objects from Australia, America and Portugal, and considers the uses of perforated stones as charms in British tradition. Patterns, materials and possible purposes matter as much as the excavations themselves. Readers interested in how scholars weigh unusual evidence will find a detailed argument about comparison, uncertainty and the difficulty of assigning a history to objects that resist familiar categories.