Category: Chambered Cairns
“With the discovery of the rock-cut chamber and monumental cist at Sand Fiold, Sandwick, which produced late Neolithic as well as Bronze Age dates, our understanding of Neolithic burial practices…
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“Situated on a gentle declivity, under the brow of Wideford Hill, it looks towards the North Isles.”
Rev George Barry. The History of the Orkney Islands. (1805)
By Sigurd Towrie…
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“In the Bay of Firth, Wideford and Cuween were set into the side of the hills that frame the area. In fact, they look across the bay at each other,…
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“Set some way upslope, they also looked down on land where settlements had been established for some time. Held at a respectful distance, the spirits of each place kept an…
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‘Expedient architecture’ and Orkney’s Neolithic long cairns
By Sigurd Towrie
Point of Cott, Westray, Orkney
Under threat of destruction, due to coastal erosion, the long cairn at the Point of…
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‘Expedient architecture’ and Orkney’s Neolithic long cairns
By Sigurd Towrie
Visitors to the Ness of Brodgar dig will probably have heard “surface over substance” used to describe the construction of…
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“A slightly different form of expansion may be present at Howe, Stromness, Mainland, where two buildings initially interpreted as a stalled tomb and mortuary house, due to the presence of…
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By Sigurd Towrie
At some point in the Neolithic a small, multi-chambered structure was built on high ground at the north-western end of the Ness of Brodgar.
Today the Bookan…
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By Sigurd Towrie
(Part One here)
Based on shared architectural elements, Maeshowe has given its name to a specific class of chambered cairn.
Characterised by side cells branching off from…
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By Sigurd Towrie
In the late 19th century, a grassy mound on a headland jutting into the Stenness loch attracted the attention of one of the many antiquarians with their…
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By Sigurd Towrie
Most visitors to the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site will be familiar with Maeshowe. Few, however, will know that what appears to be an equally…
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In 2012, Jim Richardson visited the Ness to capture images for a planned National Geographic feature article.
The resultant images were truly awe-inspiring and today, thanks to Jim’s generosity, we’re…
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Do we have evidence of ritualised violence at Cuween? A video lecture from Dr Rebecca Crozier, well-known in Orkney for her work at the Quanterness Chambered Cairn, released as…
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The presence of two main styles of Neolithic chambered cairn in Orkney has led to years of debate on their dates, use and development.
Here, Sigurd looks at current thinking…
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