Category: Chambered Cairns

Friday, April 4, 2025

Trust’s £357k award sees ‘Tomb of the Eagles’ purchase move a step closer

Plans to reopen the Isbister chambered cairn took a step closer this week with the Scottish Land Fund awarding £357,705 to the South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust. Read more

Around the Ness / Chambered Cairns

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Maeshowe – the mummies, the giant and the mound-dweller…

A look at what may have lain behind the 1861 newspaper claim of two mummies and a giant in Maeshowe. Read more

Chambered Cairns / Further Afield

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Isbister cairn – the human remains

Isbister was one of the few Orcadian chambered cairns found to contain human remains – in this case, in such quantities that it was declared “the largest assemblage … from any single British Neolithic site.” Read more

Chambered Cairns

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Latest on the Blomuir chambered cairn at Thursday’s OAS talk

An Orkney Archaeology Society talk on Thursday, March 20, will see Dr Hugo Anderson-Whymark give an update on 2024 excavation season at the Blomuir chambered cairn in the East Mainland parish of Holm. Read more

3D Model / Chambered Cairns / Further Afield

Saturday, March 1, 2025

The Isbister stalled cairn – South Ronaldsay’s ‘Tomb of the Eagles’

The first part of an article looking at the Isbister stalled cairn in South Ronaldsay, better known today as the Tomb of the Eagles. Read more

Chambered Cairns / Further Afield

Thursday, January 23, 2025

The Knowe of Lairo – remodelled to emulate Maeshowe or something completely different?

This week we're looking at the Knowe of Lairo in Rousay - another enigmatic Neolithic chambered cairn unlike any other in Orkney. But what was going on? Read more

Chambered Cairns / Further Afield / Links

Friday, January 17, 2025

Link: New research suggests differing mortuary practices in Rousay cairn

A new paper looking at the bone assemblage from the Rousay’s Knowe of Rowiegar suggests that human remains were placed at different stages of decomposition in a more complex, muti-stage process for handling the dead. Read more

Maeshowe Solstice (Historic Environment Scotland)

Around the Ness / Chambered Cairns / Video

Saturday, December 21, 2024

Video: The dead of winter – Maeshowe and the solstice

Today, Saturday, December 21, is the winter solstice - a day inextricably linked to Maeshowe in Stenness. Read more

Chambered Cairns / Further Afield

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Egmondshowe and the funerary landscape around Elsness, Sanday

Unpicking the details of a potential chambered cairn in Sanday and the huge barrow cemetery surrounding it. Read more

3D Model / Chambered Cairns / Further Afield

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Quoyness chambered cairn, Sanday

We're back out and about today with a look at the Maeshowe-type Quoyness chambered cairn in Sanday, Orkney. Read more

Chambered Cairns / Podcast

Monday, October 14, 2024

Mark talks Maeshowe in latest ‘Stone Me’ podcast

Join Ness of Brodgar co-director Professor Mark Edmonds in the latest episode of the Stone Me podcast to look at Maeshowe. Read more

Chambered Cairns / Further Afield

Monday, April 29, 2024

The Dwarfie Stane – talking Trolld, echoes and cliffside caves

The second in our of a two-part look at the Dwarfie Stane in Hoy. As well as finally meeting our dwarf, it considers the acoustics of the area and surveys of the Dwarfie Hamars. Read more

3D Model / Chambered Cairns / Further Afield

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Dwarfie Stane – ‘one of the wonders of the Orkney Islands’

The first of a two-part article looking at the Dwarfie Stane in Hoy - said to be Britain’s only example of a rock-cut prehistoric tomb. Read more

Chambered Cairns / Links

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Stalled cairn excavation monograph now available as a free download

A 2009 book detailing the excavation of a Neolithic stalled cairn in Papa Westray is the latest open access title from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Read more

Category: Chambered Cairns

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