Historic Scotland - Looking after our heritage - What types of sites and monuments are scheduled?

What types of sites and monuments are scheduled?

The oldest scheduled monuments date from around 8,000 years ago, when people first settled in Scotland. The most recent include Second World War gun emplacements and anti-invasion defences. In between is a huge range of monuments of all types, from prehistoric burial mounds to Roman forts, from early Christian carved stones to industrial mills. There are over 8,000 scheduled monuments spread right across Scotland.

Some archaeological sites and monuments – such as prehistoric stone circles, ruined castles and 20th-century military remains – are obvious today. Others are less obvious because they have left no trace on the surface, but are protected because of important remains preserved below the ground.

You can find out more about different archaeological periods, themes and monument types, ranging from prehistoric burials to wartime defences, in our information leaflets. They are attractive and concise introductions to archaeology – including to types of monument that can sometimes be difficult to understand, such as cropmark sites. Between them, the leaflets demonstrate the great interest and importance of Scotland’s archaeological sites and monuments. Hard copies are available on request.

Leaflets