Sandfiold: cremation, tomb and cist
“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… Read more
Category: Chambered Cairns
Quanterness chambered cairn
“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… Read more
Wideford Hill chambered cairn
“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,… Read more
Cuween chambered cairn
“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… Read more
Not all monuments were created equal: part two
‘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… Read more
Not all monuments were created equal
‘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… Read more
Howe, Stromness
“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… Read more
The Bookan Chambered Cairn
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… Read more
Maeshowe – part two
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… Read more
Unstan Stalled Cairn
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… Read more
The ‘Little Barnhouse’ mound
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… Read more
Photographic mastery – Jim Richardson views from around the Ness
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… Read more
The trouble with Cuween: human remains from Neolithic Orkney
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… Read more
Agents of transformation – the role of chambered cairns in Neolithic Orkney
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… Read more
