Cat Stane facts for kids
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 Location in Scotland
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| Location | Edinburgh |
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| Coordinates | 55°57′17.28″N 3°21′52.2″W / 55.9548000°N 3.364500°W |
| Type | Megalith |
| History | |
| Periods | Bronze Age, Iron Age |
| Cultures | Votadini, Gododdin, Picts |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Edward Lhuyd |
| Ownership | Edinburgh airport |
The Cat Stane is an ancient stone that stands tall near Kirkliston, close to Edinburgh, in Scotland. It has old carvings, or an "inscription," from the 400s or 500s AD. This stone was part of a special burial place. This place included the stone itself, a pile of stones called a cairn, and several stone-lined graves called cists.
The carvings on the stone are in Latin. Experts believe they are a message for a woman named Vetta who was buried nearby. We know when the stone was carved by looking at the style of writing. We also learn from digs done by archaeologists.
The Cat Stane was first put up a very long time ago, during the Bronze Age. The Latin message was added much later, around the 400s or 500s AD. At that time, the area around modern Edinburgh was home to people known as the Votadini or the Gododdin.
Today, the Cat Stane is inside Edinburgh Airport. This means people cannot visit it easily. It is near where two small rivers, the Gogar Burn and the River Almond, meet. The stone is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This means it is an important historical site.
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What Does the Cat Stane Look Like?
The Cat Stane is a large, uneven standing stone. It is about 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) tall. The stone has been worn down by weather over many years. But you can still see parts of its Latin inscription. Some parts are missing or hard to read.
The Ancient Message on the Stone
The message carved into the stone is in a rough Latin style. It seems to say:
- IN OC T
- MVLO IAC T
- VETTA F
- VICTR
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) has studied this message. They believe it means:
- IN THIS
- TOMB LIES
- VETTA DAUGHTER OF
- VICTRICUS
This tells us the stone was a memorial for a woman named Vetta. Her father was named Victricus.
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The Cat Stane shown in a drawing from 1860. This was for the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
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A close-up of the ancient writing on the stone.
Discovering the Cat Stane's Secrets
The first time someone wrote about the Cat Stane was in 1699. A Welsh scholar named Edward Lhuyd described it. He said it stood on flat stones, next to what was left of a low, oval-shaped cairn.
Digging Up the Past
Archaeologists first dug near the stone in 1860. More digs happened in 1864. The most recent excavation was in 1977. During this dig, people suggested moving the stone from the airport. But this idea was not successful.
These digs showed that many burials were made around the Cat Stane. These were in stone-lined graves called cists.
Experts from RCAHMS think the Cat Stane was first used in the Bronze Age. Later, in the 400s or 500s AD, people started using it again for burials.
