Mystery messages carved into Scotland's rocks up to 5,000 years ago may soon be revealed using 3D scans

Their meaning has been lost in ancient history but the distinctive marks on rocks by our ancestors thousands of years ago provide a unique link to our prehistoric past. Now a new project has been launched in an attempt to finally unravel some of the mysteries of the prehistoric rock art carved into stones in Scotland. Experts are to create a new digital database using 3D scanning to record and study more than 2,000 carvings across the country. Cup and ring marks are a form of prehistoric art found widely through out the world. They consist of a round indentation – the cup – surrounded by a series of concentric circles that look like ripples on water.