Cairn is a term in anthropology and archaeology for a human-made pile or stack of stones, often serving as a marker, memorial, or funerary monument. Cairns are found worldwide and are deeply tied to ritual, navigation, and cultural identity.

🌍 Definition

• Cairn: A deliberately constructed mound or pile of stones.
• Functions:
  • Burial marker or tomb covering.
  • Territorial or boundary marker.
  • Wayfinding aid in landscapes (mountains, deserts).
  • Ritual or commemorative monument.

🔑 Archaeological Contexts

• Funerary Cairns:
  • Common in prehistoric Europe (Neolithic and Bronze Age).
  • Often cover burials or cremations, sometimes combined with chambered tombs.
• Navigational Cairns:
  • Used by pastoralists, mountaineers, and Arctic peoples to mark trails or hunting grounds.
• Ritual Cairns:
  • Built as offerings or memorials, sometimes added to over generations.
• Global Examples:
  • Scotland: Bronze Age cairns marking burials.
  • Scandinavia: Stone cairns as territorial markers.
  • North America: Indigenous cairns used for navigation and ritual.
  • Mongolia: Ovoo cairns used in shamanic and Buddhist practices.

📚 Importance in Anthropology

• Material Culture: Cairns show how societies used local geology (stones, boulders) for symbolic structures.
• Social Identity: Collective construction reflects community participation and memory.
• Comparative Value: Cairns link burial practices, navigation, and ritual across cultures.
• Landscape Archaeology: Cairns anchor human presence in natural environments, often enduring for millennia.

In short: A cairn is a human-made stone pile used as a burial marker, navigational aid, or ritual monument, found across cultures and time periods.