Staneyhill long horned cairn
Across the waters of the Harray loch, just over two miles north-east of the Ness of Brodgar complex, is one of the few known Orcadian examples of a Neolithic long horned cairn. Read more
Category: Chambered Cairns
Howe, Stromness – a hub of Neolithic and Iron Age activity
Ahead of planned agricultural improvements, the prehistoric site at Howe was excavated from 1978 until 1982 – an operation that revealed a complex series of occupation episodes spanning the Neolithic to Iron Age. Read more
Link: Explore Vinquoy chambered cairn with new 3d model
3d model of the Vinquoy chambered cairn, Eday, Orkney.
New 3d models of chambered cairns now available to explore as part of the UHI Archaeology Institute’s Tombs of the Isles… Read more
Sandfiold: cremation, tomb and cist
Like the many Neolithic chambered cairns throughout Orkney, the Sandfiold cist was clearly meant to be, and was, re-used. Few Orcadian cairns have been found to contain human remains, strongly suggesting that they were not the final destination for all the Neolithic dead. Read more
Quanterness chambered cairn
The Quanterness passage grave is the third in a series of three found in a three-mile stretch of countryside between Kirkwall and Finstown. Read more
Wideford Hill chambered cairn
Just under three miles to the east of Cuween Hill, on the steep, upper slopes of Wideford Hill, is a second Neolithic passage grave. Read more
Cuween chambered cairn
The Cuween cairn is built on an artificial terrace on the upper slopes of Cuween Hill's eastern side. Cuween is a Maeshowe-type cairn consisting of a “roughly rectangular” central chamber with four smaller cells branching off from each side. Read more
Not all monuments were created equal: part two
Evidence calls into question many assumptions surrounding chambered cairns and, indeed, Neolithic architecture. Not all structures were meant to be the steadfast edifices. Read more
Not all monuments were created equal
Visitors to the Ness of Brodgar dig will probably have heard “surface over substance” used to describe the construction of some of the structures on site. Read more
Maeshowe – historic additions, incursions and the Norse runes
The earliest account of Maeshowe is found within the pages of the Orkneyinga saga, which says Viking warriors sought shelter in the chamber in 1153. Read more
Maeshowe and the winter solstice
With its south-westerly facing entrance, Maeshowe’s best known attribute is its orientation towards the setting sun around midwinter. Read more
A standing stone at Maeshowe and the structure that lies beneath
The solstice, an earlier building and standing stone and Norse runes. Read more
Unstan stalled cairn, Stenness
In the late 19th century, the Knowe of Onston was opened and found to contain the remains of a Neolithic stalled cairn. Read more
A master of his art – Jim Richardson photographs from around the Ness
Jim Richardson visiting the Ness in 2019. (📷 Jo Bourne)
In 2012, Jim Richardson visited the Ness to capture images for a planned National Geographic feature article.
The resultant images… 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… Read more
Agents of transformation – chambered cairns in Neolithic Orkney
Maeshowe interior. (📷 Jim Richardson)
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,… Read more
Rivalries in Neolithic Orkney outlined in new ‘Antiquity’ study
A new study, published in the journal Antiquity, is challenging the previously understood narrative for Neolithic Orkney. Read more
