Cup-marked rocks on the Meayll Peninsula

The decoration of natural rock surfaces and a range of prehistoric stone monuments with rings, hollows and other markings, broad ly known as cup - and - ring marks, occur throughout the British Isles, and across Europe more widely and is widely accepted to be a form of prehistoric rock art . Designs include simple cup - like hollows, which may sometimes be encircled by one or more concentric rings, some with radial lines, and a variety of linear and curvilinear tracks or other more complex patterns. On some surfaces only a single cup is foun d, but more commonly the designs occur in groups. Whilst in some places rock faces may be covered with carvings , adjacent expanses of rock may not have been used at all. [Opening paragraph]