Part 1 introduces the controversy over unusual objects of stone, bone, shell, and slate discovered at the hill fort of Dunbuie and the submerged structures of Dumbuck and Langbank, asking whether they are ancient relics or modern objects secretly inserted into the sites. Lang compares Robert Munro’s case for forgery with the excavation accounts associated with William Donnelly, explaining that incomplete records of the precise positions and circumstances of discovery make a confident verdict difficult. He examines the structures, their possible dates, the final excavation at old Dumbuck, and his own changing involvement in the debate, while citing examples in which experienced archaeologists mistakenly accepted forgeries or rejected genuine discoveries. Turning to the incised lines, circles, perforations, and cup marks on the objects, he argues that archaeology should be assisted by folklore and comparative anthropology and suggests that some perforated stones may have served as charms or magical instruments rather than ordinary ornaments.
