Maes Howe is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland Orkney (off northern Scotland). The monuments around Maes Howe, including Skara Brae, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. It gives its name to the Maes Howe Type of chambered cairn, which bears no similarities to any other known chambered cairn design, either in Orkney or elsewhere. Neolithic barrow Maes Howe, Orkney, 1981 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Maes Howe, picture taken by Tim Bekaert on July 16, 2004. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 944 KB)Maes Howe Entrance, picture taken by Tim Bekaert on July 16, 2004. ... The Neolithic, (Greek neos=new, lithos=stone, or New Stone Age) is traditionally the last part of the stone age. ... A chambered cairn is a burial monument, usually constructed during the Neolithic, consisting of a cairn of stones inside which a sizeable (usually stone) chamber was constructured. ... A passage tomb near the town of Sligo in Ireland A Passage grave (sometimes hyphenated) or Passage tomb is a tomb, usually dating to the Neolithic, where the burial chamber is reached along a distinct, and usually low, passage. ... The Orkney Islands form one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, and are a Lieutenancy Area. ... Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ... Excavated dwellings at Skara Brae Skara Brae is a large stone-built Neolithic settlement, located in the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of mainland Orkney (off northern Scotland). ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1946. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Built originally by the Grooved Ware People, the site is close to several other significant ancient monuments thought to be contemporary with Maes Howe. Most Neolithic cultures in Britain are best identified by the pottery remains which they left. ...

It was looted by Vikings (possibly Earl Rognvald) in c. 12th century AD, who left, in their passing, a series of runic graffiti on the central supporting stones of the chamber while they sheltered. It is the longest runic inscription known so far. The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ...

The corbelled roof was shattered in 1861 by overenthusiastic "archaeologists". Luckily, they did relatively little structural damage and the site still represents a standard of exacting design and construction not found anywhere else in the British Isles. 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The British Isles consist of Great Britain, Ireland and a number of much smaller surrounding islands. ...

See also

• Ring of Brodgar
• The Stone Lud