The Heart of Neolithic Orkney

In 2010, Historic Environment Scotland partnered with CyArk and the School of Simulation and Visualisation to document five of Scotland’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites in five years. These sites include the Antonine Wall, St. Kilda, Edinburgh, New Lanark and Neolithic Orkney. Neolithic Orkney is a grouping of neolithic monuments in the Orkney archipelago on the Northeast coast of Scotland that provide a rare glimpse into prehistoric life in Northern Europe. Documentation efforts at Neolithic Orkney focused on several key archaeological sites including Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, Maeshowe and the Stones of Stenness. In August 2010, the project partners used LiDAR, or laser scanning, to record the present condition of the structures as well as the surrounding context for use in monitoring and to support the ongoing management of the sites.

Some 5,000 years ago, the prehistoric people of the Orkney Islands began building extraordinary monuments out of stone. Each of the four Heart of Neolithic Orkney sites is a masterpiece of Neolithic design and construction in itself. But together they represent one of the richest surviving Neolithic landscapes in Western Europe. The series of important domestic and ritual monuments gives us incredible insights into the society, skills and spiritual beliefs of the people who built the monuments. Skara Brae is a domestic settlement whose stone walls, passageways and stone furnishings – including beds and ‘dressers’ – survive to the present day. Maeshowe, a chambered tomb, is an extraordinary example of Neolithic architectural genius. It was designed so that the light of the setting sun at the winter solstice focuses on the narrow passageway, illuminating the chamber inside. The Stones of Stenness circle and henge is a very early example of this type of monument. The surviving stones are enormous, standing up to 6m tall. The Ring of Brodgar is a great stone circle 130m across. Surrounded by a rock cut ditch, it is set in a spectacular natural amphitheatre of lochs and hills.

Maeshowe, a monumental chambered tomb, is the finest Neolithic building to survive in north-west Europe. Built around 5,000 years ago, it is a masterpiece of Neolithic design and construction – not least because of its use of massive stones.Creating such a huge building must have been a major challenge for our remote ancestors, working without metal tools or powered machinery. It also clearly shows a tremendous social commitment.From the outside, Maeshowe looks just like a large grassy mound. (The word ‘howe’ comes from the Old Norse for ‘hill’.) To appreciate its size and significance, visitors must enter Maeshowe, stooping to walk its long passageway to reach the central, stone-built chamber. The outside world feels far away, with just a small glint of light entering the tomb.