Donated Skara Brae excavation documents bound for Orkney archives
A collection of documents relating to the excavation of Skara Brae in the late 1920s is bound for the Orkney Library and Archives. Read more
Category: Further Afield
Toftsness Neolithic settlement, Sanday
Toftsness was the second Sanday settlement investigation in the 1980s - revealing a domestic and funerary landscape spanning millennia. Read more
Pool Neolithic settlement, Sanday
In the 1980s, two Neolithic settlements were excavated in the island of Sanday. Today we briefly look at Pool on the island’s south-western coast. Read more
Link: Skara Brae’s updated statement of significance published
Historic Environment Scotland's updated statement of significance for Skara Brae is available to download. Read more
Taversoe Tuick – the subterranean outer chamber
The final part of our Taversoe Tuick series, this time looking at the subterranean outer chamber. Read more
Taversoe Tuick – its double-decker design and Bronze Age remodelling
In the fourth post, we ponder why the structure incorporated two chambers and look at Bronze Age modifications to the Taversoe Tuick. Read more
Taversoe Tuick – the lower chamber
In the third part of our series, we return to the Taversoe Tuick's lower chamber and its 1937 re-excavation. Read more
Taversoe Tuick – the upper chamber
The second in a series of articles looking at the Neolithic Taversoe Tuick chambered cairn in Rousay. Read more
The discovery of the Taversoe Tuick – a ‘most remarkable’ Neolithic cairn
The first in a series of articles looking at the two-storey Taversoe Tuick chambered cairn in Rousay. Read more
Midhowe stalled cairn, Rousay
We begin casting our archaeological net even further afield this week, looking at the Midhowe stalled cairn in Rousay. Read more
Vestrafiold – the enclosure
On the lower slopes of Vestrafiold, south-west of the megalithic quarry are the remains of a large, possible prehistoric, enclosure. Covering an area of around seven acres (2.8 hectares), the oval feature was defined by a “wall” of upright flagstones running around its perimeter.
Little is known about the site, which, in terms of construction, “is completely unlike any other enclosure in Orkney”. Read more
Vestrafiold – the fake horned cairn
Lying 50 metres east of the megalith quarry on Vestrafiold is an oval mound that was suggested to be the remains of a very poorly preserved stalled cairn. Excavation, however, revealed otherwise. Read more
Vestrafiold – the megalithic quarry
From at least the early 19th century, Vestrafiold was considered to be a source of the megaliths found in the Stones of Stenness and Ring of Brodgar. Why? Although several quarries were traditionally said to have produced standing stones, Vestrafiold had the proof in situ - quarried, but abandoned, megaliths scattered across the hillside. Read more
Halykirk – dolmen or stalled cairn?
As regular readers will have noted, 19th century antiquarians were very keen to find evidence of dolmens in Orkney. Haleykirk/Helyakirk/Halykirk/Holykirk lies about a quarter of a mile to the south-east of the megalithic quarries on Vestrafiold, on the hill of Cruaday. Read more
Rinyo Neolithic settlement, Rousay
In the winter of 1937/38, James Yorston was exploring the Braes of Rinyo, Rousay, when he came across stone slabs protruding from the turf. Yorston went on to expose the outline of two structures and portions of four others. Read more
The Crantit cist burials
As we saw last time, the closure of the Crantit chamber left little or nothing visible above ground. But people came back, suggesting the site was marked and memories or traditions of its role persisted. We know this because centuries after the ancient site was sealed it became a focus for at least three Bronze Age burials. Read more
