Excavated dwellings at Skara Brae, Europe's most complete Neolithic village.

Evidence of home furnishings i.e. shelves.

Outline of Skara Brae settlement.

View over the settlement, showing covering to House No. 7 and proximity to modern shore line.

Skara Brae (pronounced /ˈskɑrə breɪ/) is a large stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of mainland Orkney, Scotland. It consists of ten clustered houses, and was occupied from roughly 3100-2500BC. The level of preservation is such that it has gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status. ^[1] It is Europe's most complete Neolithic village. This article belongs in one or more categories. ... A photograph of neolithic excavations at Skara Brae on Orkney in Scotland. ... A photograph of neolithic excavations at Skara Brae on Orkney in Scotland. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 376 pixelsFull resolution (3068 × 1443 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 376 pixelsFull resolution (3068 × 1443 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 2. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... Bay of Skaill seen from Skara Brae site The Bay of Skaill is a small bay on the west coast of the Orkney Mainland, Scotland. ... The Orkney Islands, usually called simply Orkney, are one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ...

In August 2007, the site was vandalised, and graffitied with the words "Scouse Celts" and "Brian Finlay slept here 13-8-2007". ^[2] The graffiti was successfully removed the following month. ^[3]

Discovery and Features of Skara Brae

Until 1850, Skara Brae lay under years of soil sediment. It was fully excavated between 1928 and 1930 by Vere Gordon Childe. For the game, see: 1850 (board game) 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vere Gordon Childe (April 14, 1892, Sydney, New South Wales–October 19, 1957, Mt. ...

Skara Brae's inhabitants were apparently makers and users of grooved ware. The houses used earth sheltering but, being sunk into the ground, they were built into mounds of pre-existing domestic waste (rubbish) known as "middens". Although the midden provided the houses with a small degree of stability, its most important purpose was to act as a layer of insulation against Orkney's harsh winter climate. On average, the houses measure 40 square metres in size with a large square room containing a large hearth which would have been used for heating and cooking. As few trees grow on the island, the people of Skara Brae used driftwood and whalebone, with turf thatch, to roof their dwellings. Most Neolithic cultures in Britain are best identified by the pottery remains which they left. ... Earth covered farm houses in Keldur, Iceland. ... A midden, also known as kitchen middens, is a dump for domestic waste. ...

The dwellings contain a number of stone-built pieces of furniture, including cupboards, dressers, seats, and storage boxes. A sophisticated drainage system was even incorporated into the village's design, one that included a primitive form of toilet in each dwelling. Seven of the houses have similar furniture, with the beds and dresser in the same places in each house. The dresser stands against the wall opposite the door, and would have been the first thing anyone entering the dwelling would see. The eighth house has no storage boxes or dresser, but has been divided into something resembling small cubicles. When this house was excavated, fragments of stone, bone and antler were found. It is possible that this building was used as a workshop to make simple tools such as bone needles or Flint Axes. For the UK band, see Furniture (band). ... For other uses, see Toilet (disambiguation). ... A flint axe was a tool used during prehistoric times to do a variety of tasks. ...

The site provided the earliest known record of the human flea Pulex irritans in Europe.^[4] For other uses, see Flea (disambiguation). ...

Radiocarbon evidence indicates Skara Brae was occupied from about 3100 BC, for about six hundred years. Around 2500 BC, after the climate changed, turning much colder and wet, the settlement may have been abandoned by its inhabitants. There are many theories as to why the people of Skara Brae suddenly left, but there is no solid evidence suggesting why this occurred. (32nd century BC – 31st century BC – 30th century BC – other centuries) (5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC) Events 3000 BC – Menes unifies Upper and Lower Egypt, and a new capital is erected at Memphis. ... (Redirected from 2500 BC) (26th century BC - 25th century BC - 24th century BC - other centuries) (4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC) Events 2900 - 2334 BC -- Mesopotamian wars of the Early Dynastic period 2494 BC -- End of Fourth Dynasty, start of Fifth Dynasty in Egypt. ...

Related sites in Orkney

A comparable — if smaller — site exists at Rinyo on Rousay. Unusually, no Maeshowe-type tombs have been found on Rousay and although there are a large number of Orkney-Cromarty chambered cairns, these were built by unstan ware people. Rousay shown within Orkney Islands Rousay (from Old Norse Hrólfs-øy meaning Rolfs Island) is a small but hilly island about 3 km (2 mi) off the north side of Orkneys Mainland, which has been nicknamed the Egypt of the north due to its tremendous archaeological diversity... Maeshowe Maeshowe Entrance Maeshowe (or Maes Howe) is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland Orkney, Scotland. ... For other uses, see Cairn (disambiguation). ... Unstan ware is the name used by archaeologists for a type of finely made and decorated Neolithic pottery from the 4th millennium BC. Typical are elegant, round based bowls with a band of grooved patterning below the rim. ...

Knap of Howar on the Orkney island of Papa Westray, is a well preserved Neolithic farmstead. Dating from 3500 BC to 3100 BC, it is similar in design to Skara Brae, but from an earlier period, and it is thought to be the oldest preserved standing building in northern Europe.^[5] At Knap of Howar on the Orkney island of Papa Westray a Neolithic farmstead has been wonderfully well preserved, and is claimed to be the oldest stone house in northern Europe, with radiocarbon dating showing that it was occupied from 3500 BC to 3100 BC, earlier than the very similar... The Orkney Islands, usually called simply Orkney, are one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. ... Papa Westray shown within Orkney Islands Papa Westray, also known as Papay, is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, with a population of around sixty people. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... (36th century BC - 35th century BC - 34th century BC - other centuries) (5th millennium BC - 4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC) Events 3500 BC - 3000 BC; Face of a woman, from Uruk (modern Warka, Iraq) was made. ... (32nd century BC – 31st century BC – 30th century BC – other centuries) (5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC) Events c. ...

World Heritage status

Heart of Neolithic Orkney*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii, iv
Reference	514
Region†	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Inscription	1999  (23rd Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

‘The Heart of Neolithic Orkney’ was inscribed as a World Heritage site in December 1999. In addition to Skara Brae the site includes Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar, the Standing Stones of Stenness and other nearby sites. It is managed by Historic Scotland, whose 'Statement of Significance' for the site begins: A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links SkaraBraeJM.jpg Summary Taken and donated by John Mullen www. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Heart of Neolithic Orkney refers to a group of Neolithic monuments found in the Scottish island of Orkney. ... Maeshowe Maeshowe Entrance Maeshowe (or Maes Howe) is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland Orkney, Scotland. ... Ring of Brodgar The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar) is a neolithic henge and stone circle in The Mainland Orkney, Scotland, somewhat similar to Stonehenge in England. ... The Stenness Watch Stone stands next to the modern bridge leading to the Ring of Brodgar. ...

The monuments at the heart of Neolithic Orkney and Skara Brae proclaim the triumphs of the human spirit in early ages and isolated places. They were approximately contemporary with the mastabas of the archaic period of Egypt (first and second dynasties), the brick temples of Sumeria, and the first cities of the Harappa culture in India, and a century or two earlier than the Golden Age of China. Unusually fine for their early date, and with a remarkably rich survival of evidence, these sites stand as a visible symbol of the achievements of early peoples away from the traditional centres of civilisation.^[6]

Contemporary culture

The children's novel The Boy with the Bronze Axe by Kathleen Fidler is set during the last days of Skara Brae.^[7]

See also

• Ring of Brodgar
• Maeshowe
• World Heritage Sites in Scotland

Ring of Brodgar The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar) is a neolithic henge and stone circle in The Mainland Orkney, Scotland, somewhat similar to Stonehenge in England. ... Maeshowe Maeshowe Entrance Maeshowe (or Maes Howe) is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland Orkney, Scotland. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

References

1. ^ It is one of four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Scotland, the others being the Old Town and New Town of Edinburgh; New Lanark in South Lanarkshire; and St Kilda in the Western Isles.
2. ^ "Vandals strike at ancient village". (August 16, 2007). The Scotsman.
3. ^ Skara Brae site graffiti removed (Saturday, 8 September, 2007) BBC News website
4. ^ Buckland, Paul C. and Sadler, Jon P. Insects in Edwards, Kevin J. & Ralston, Ian B.M. (Eds) (2003) Scotland After the Ice Age: Environment, Archaeology and History, 8000 BC - AD 1000. Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press.
5. ^ "The Knap o' Howar, Papay". Orkneyjar. Retrieved on 05 September 2007.
6. ^ "The Heart of Neolithic Orkney". Historic Scotland. Retrieved on 05 September 2007.
7. ^ Fidler, Kathleen (2005) The Boy with the Bronze Axe. Edinburgh. Floris Books. ISBN 9780863154881

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... The Old Town of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ... The Edinburgh New Town is a neo-classical masterpiece. ... For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). ... New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately two kilometres from the Royal Burgh of Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. ... South Lanarkshire (Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, covering the southern part of the traditional county of Lanarkshire. ... St Kilda (Scottish Gaelic: ) is an isolated archipelago situated 64 kilometres (40 mi) west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. ... The Western Isles are an archipelago in Scotland. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Skara Brae

• Orkneyjar

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Coordinates: 59°02′55″N, 3°20′35″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...