One of the standing stones in Orkney's Ring of Brodgar.
I recently had the privilege of visiting several locations that are part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, something that has been on my wish list for a number of years. While there are standing stones scattered throughout the British Isles, Orkney is especially endowed with neolithic riches. My Scottish cousin Jean and I toured Mainland, the largest of the Orkney Islands, and the first prehistoric site we visited was the Standing Stones of Stenness.
Standing Stones of Stenness.
The Standing Stones of Stenness, raised about 5000 years ago, may be the oldest henge monument in Britain. There was originally a circle of 11-12 stones surrounded by a ditch with a causeway but today only 4 stones remain standing.
The shortest of the Stenness stones.
The Ring of Brodgar is another, much larger, stone circle. There is restoration work going on at the site and it is presently surrounded by a snow fence. Jean had an entertaining chat with one of the workers there, calling me over to hear his Orkney accent.
Two of the stones in the Ring of Brodgar.
We were fortunate to see ongoing excavation at the Ness of Brodgar archaelogical site, located between the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar. This site has been under excavation since 2003 and seems to be a huge ceremonial complex that has been dubbed the Neolithic Cathedral of Orkney. The site is open to the public during the summer dig and free tours are given to encourage donations to fund the work. BBC was filming while we were there.
Ness of Brodgar Summer 2016 archaelogical dig.
View from Ness of Brodgar dig.
The highlight for me was visiting Skara Brae, the 5000 year old village uncovered in 1850 by a storm and first excavated in the 1930s. The people who lived there farmed, hunted and fished. Nine houses have survived and pottery fragments have been recovered from the site.
Skara Brae, a Neolithic village.
Inside one of the Skara Brae homes with central hearth and stone box beds.
Our last prehistoric visit was a guided tour of the Maeshowe chambered cairn and passage grave, likely built about 2800 BCE. It was bitterly cold when we arrived to start our prearranged tour and only slightly warmer inside out of the wind. We had to bend over to enter the chamber through a short tunnel. No photos were allowed inside. At the winter solstice the setting sun shines directly down the passage of Maeshowe, lighting the back wall and passage.
The walk to Maeshowe.
It is amazing to stand in these places where our long ago ancestors once lived, trying to imagine what their lives were like. The Orkney neolithic sites are definitely worth a visit.