 This is a great opportunity to see one of the kind of mythical sites of Scottish archaeology. The Cocknostone is one of these sites that people have heard about, there's rumours about it, but very few people remember seeing it before it was buried, and so to be part of the revealing of it is really exciting. The Cocknostone is a large ancient rock located at West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Measuring 42 feet by 26 feet, it was first discovered in 1887 by the Reverend James Harvey. Such a large stone, once sitting proud upon the surface, inevitably attracted people's attention for thousands of years. The stone features around 90 carved ancient images, considered to be one of the finest sets of ancient petroglyphs in the world. It was reburied in 1965 by archaeologist Ludovic McClellan Mann, who decided to bury the massive slab under several feet of soil to protect it from damage and to prevent people from adding their own modern carvings to it. In 2015, it was partially re-exposed for investigation during a three-day dig and a more complete re-exposure followed a year later. So far, archaeologists cannot agree on what is exactly depicted on the massive slab, yet the images are clearly strange. Often when you discover that specialists cannot come to a joint conclusion, the subject is of a controversial nature. There is no consensus among archaeologists on the meaning of the intricate symbols found on its surface. Experts plan to digitally map the stone, and that data obtained could shine more light on its history. Its purpose in the people who created the artwork they believed lived more than 5,000 years ago. Dr. Kenny Brofe led the excavation and described the experience of seeing the stone as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Because of the array of markings on it, the Cogniz stone has been recognized as being of national importance and designated as a scheduled monument. Due to its unusual illustrations and the choice in shapes and placement thereof, many researchers have come to the conclusion that the Cocknoll Rock could have been some form of star map. The mystery of its strange decorations will undoubtedly persist for many years to come.