By Paige Freshwater

Copyright dailyrecord

When setting off on a hike, you expect to come across breathtaking scenery, wildlife, and the peaceful quiet of nature . But one explorer got more than they bargained for when they discovered some mysterious markings etched across a rock when exploring the border with England . Amazed, they said on Reddit: “I found this carving on a rock in a country estate on the Scottish Boarders [sic]. It shows the Roman numerals XVIII, two circles, one has a plus symbol in it and one has a minus symbol. From what I can tell the other characters are an anchor, a snake and a diamond shape. I used a stick to remove the moss and there doesn’t appear to be any additional carving inside the diamond shape. The picture shows the correct orientation of the carving and the rock was about 18 inches tall. Found on the floor of a wooded area, next to a river. Any ideas?” While other users shared their amazement over the discovery, others encouraged them to speak to local historical societies to learn more about it. One user said: “I wish I lived in a country where you could go for a walk and discover cool ancient s***.” Another user added: “Contact a local historical society. Might be that you discovered something important.” A third user said: “It’s almost certainly a marker of some sort, probably 19th century or later. “You say it’s on an estate, so it’s probably something to do with estate lands, so more likely a border or location marker than a way marker. “The fact that it says 8 suggests it’s one of at least 8 similar stones, so id be asking someone who knows something about the estate.” One more user added: “It is relatively fresh. If it was Roman or Pictish out in that weather it would be a lot more weathered. “The curve of the snake on the left looks almost new. You can see the smooth stone inside the groove.” Speaking about mystery marking on rocks in the area, the Rock Art Project explained how around 5,000 years ago, people in Scotland carved symbols into surfaces across the landscape for various reasons. A statement reads: “We call these prehistoric carvings ‘rock art’ and, if we look carefully, we can still see traces of them today. “Thousands of prehistoric carvings are known in Scotland, and there may be many more waiting to be discovered. “They were clearly important to the people that created them, but we know little about how were they used, or what purpose they served.” The project has been mapping discovered rock art on their website with geographical locations and descriptions of the symbols. A statement adds: “Rock art is one of the most fascinating and mysterious aspects of our past. “Rock art refers to images, symbols, and marks that have been painted or engraved onto natural rock surfaces. “People have been creating rock art across the world for over 40,000 years. We find it deep within caves, in rock shelters, and on outcrops and boulders in the open landscape.”