3-D Images Lead to New Date for Burial Stone in Scotland

INCHINNAN, SCOTLAND—The Inchinnan Historical Interest Group has sponsored the creation of virtual models of three burial stones now resting at Inchinnan Parish Church, located in west central Scotland, with reflectance transformation imaging and photogrammetry, according to a report in The Scotsman. It had been thought that all of the burial stones dated to the twelfth century. They were moved to Inchinnan Parish Church from the site of a church dedicated to St. Conval, who is credited with establishing a nearby monastery around A.D. 600. Megan Kasten of the University of Glasgow studied the models of the stones and noticed that one of them had a cross design carved at its top, and faint panels of interlacing. The same motifs are found on the well-known Govan Stones, which have been dated to the ninth century. “We have few historical records for this time period,” Kasten said, “so each new discovery increases our understanding of the connections between important early medieval sites in the local area, like Inchinnan and Govan.” The stones are now thought to have commemorated an important person from the early medieval kingdom of Strathclyde. To read about another recent discovery in Scotland, go to “Fit for a Saint.”