The Knap of Howar, Papa Westray
“The site is defined by two stone-built structures, one next to the other, built when the sea was kept at bay by a bank of dunes. Both had been abandoned… Read more
Category: Further Afield
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
Sandfiold: an ‘exceptional’ burial cist in use for almost two millennia
By Sigurd Towrie
Like many Orcadian archaeological sites, the discovery of an “exceptional” [1] prehistoric burial cist at Sandfiold in 1989 was accidental.
Operations to remove sand from the lower… Read more
The Sandfiold Bronze Age cemetery
“In the Links of Skeall (sic), where sand is blown away with the wind, are found several places built four square, about a foot square, with stones about, well cemented… Read more
Visit Skara Brae virtually with new digital 3D model
A new 3D model of Skara Brae is offering online visitors an immersive digital experience of the 5,000-year-old Neolithic settlement.
The Historic Environment Scotland (HES) model was created using… Read more
The Knowes of Trotty – a Bronze Age cemetery and Neolithic settlement site
By Sigurd Towrie
Sitting in an area of marshland in Orkney’s West Mainland are the Knowes of Trotty [*] – a Bronze Age barrow cemetery that is the only one… Read more
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
The Bay of Firth Neolithic trail
Now that things are getting back to some semblance of normality, we’ve turned out attention to the incredibly rich Neolithic landscape around the Bay of Firth.
Although the trail focuses… 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
Skara Brae
“Nowhere, except in Egypt or at Pompeii, is a prehistoric settlement to be found, the streets, huts and even domestic furniture of which are in such perfect preservation”
Professor V.… Read more
