Raymond Bryan

if God is for me who can be against me

[Archaeo - Histories @archeohistories]

The Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae, Sandwick, Orkney, Scotland; is one of the best preserved groups of prehistoric houses in Western Europe...

Neolithic village of Skara Brae was discovered in winter of 1850. Wild storms ripped grass from a high dune known as Skara Brae, beside Bay of Skaill, and exposed an immense midden (refuse heap) and ruins of ancient stone buildings. Skara Brae was inhabited before Egyptian pyramids were built, and flourished for centuries before construction began at Stonehenge. It is some 5000 years old. But it is not its age alone that makes it so remarkable and so important. It is the degree to which it has been preserved. Structures of this semi-subterranean village survive in impressive condition. So, amazingly, does the furniture in village houses. Nowhere else in northern Europe are we able to see such rich evidence of how our remote ancestors actually lived.

The profound importance of this remarkable site was given official recognition in 1999 when it was inscribed upon the World Heritage List as part of Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.

Skara Brae was home of a Neolithic farming community. The people who lived here were able to grow some crops and they kept cows, sheep and pigs. These animals were their main sources of food, providing meat, milk and cheese. They gathered natural resources from nearby, such as birds eggs, wild herbs and plants. Neolithic people also hunted. They used the antlers from the deer for making tools. They went fishing for both sea fish and freshwater fish. They collected shellfish such as oysters, winkles and limpets.

People at Skara Brae probably wore animal skins and fleeces. Experts have found large amounts of jewellery at Skara Brae, including pins, beads and pendants. These beads are made from the bones, teeth, antlers and tusks of animals and birds.

All the houses are well-built of closely-fitting flat stone slabs. They were set into large mounds of midden (household refuse) and linked by covered passages. Each house comprised a single room with a floor space of roughly 40sq m. The ‘fitted’ stone furniture within each room comprised a dresser, where prized objects were probably stored and displayed, two box-beds, a hearth centrally placed and small tanks set into the floor, perhaps for preparing fish bait.

Most Neolithic people built houses with wooden frames. But on the Orkney Islands, there aren't many trees. Neolithic people at Skara Brae built their houses from stone. The village is made up of a group of one-roomed circular homes. Houses have built-in furniture made completely from stone. There are stone cupboards and beds and even stone shelves where precious objects were kept.

Today, homes at Skara Brae are open to air, but they were probably covered with roofs of turf and grasses. Each home would have been linked by a set of covered passageways, so people could visit whilst keeping warm and dry.

A rich array of artefacts and ecofacts has been discovered during the various archaeological excavations. They include gaming dice, hand tools, pottery and jewellery (necklaces, beads, pendants and pins). Most remarkable are richly carved stone objects, perhaps used in religious rituals. Villagers were farmers, hunters and fishermen, capable of producing items of beauty and sophistication with rudimentary technology. No weapons have been found and the settlement was not in a readily defended location, suggesting a peaceful life. Most of the artefacts are now on view in visitor centre, a short walk away.

Village life appears to have ended around 2500 BC. No one knows why. Some argue that it was because a huge sandstorm engulfed their houses, others that it was more gradual. As village life came to an end, new monuments were beginning to rise up on mainland Orkney, including most importantly the chambered tomb at Maes Howe and the impressive stone circles at the Ring of Brodgar and Stenness.

🎥© neural.pathways (IG)

#archaeohistories