Sculptors Cave, Covesea, Scotland
These recordings were made at the site of Sculptor’s Cave in Covesea, near Lossiemouth in northern Scotland. Three caves on this part of the coast have extensive histories of human occupation. The caves has many signs of ritual activity, including a number of carvings on the wall, some of Pictish origin. There is evidence of decapitated heads being displayed, and of a large number of human heads being displayed. Ritual activities are usually accompanied by music, and since other Pictish carvings feature harps prominently, it was decided to record harps and lyres at this site. The instruments are reconstructions based on archaeological evidence, played by Bill Taylor (1-3) and Simon Chadwick (4-5). The nearby bird colony, and the sounds of the sea are also clearly audible. The recordings were made by Rupert Till.
