The Heart of Neolithic Orkney

Orkney has one of the richest and best preserved Neolithic (or late stone age) landscapes anywhere in Europe. The archaeological evidence suggests that 5,000 years ago Orkney was home to a number of thriving farming communities that raised cattle and sheep and grew wheat and barley. They lived and worked in villages and farmsteads; held ceremonies, feasts and celebrations in and around great stone henge monuments; and honoured their dead in magnificent chambered cairns. Neolithic Orkney was a truly remarkable place, whose influence was felt across the wider British Isles.

In recognition of this, the ”Heart of Neolithic Orkney” was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, comprising of four key monuments: the Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness, Maeshowe and Skara Brae.

Ring of Brodgar (including the Comet Stone):

At 130m in diameter (including its massive ditch) the Ring of Brodgar is one of the biggest and most impressive henge monuments in Britain. Now comprising 36 stones (out of a possible 60) evidence from the ditch suggests a date of approximately 2,600 BC to 2,400 BC. 

Stones of Stenness (including the Watcher Stone):

Although much smaller than the Ring of Brodgar (in terms of diameter, number of stones and ditch size) and in a less prominent location, the Stones of Stenness are also much older. Possibly dating to as early as 3,400 BC, it could be the oldest stone circle henge monument in Britain. Also the three main surviving stones are individually much bigger than any of the remaining stones at Brodgar.

Maeshowe:

Dating to approximately 3,000 BC, Maeshowe is a masterpiece of Neolithic architecture and quite simply the finest example of a chambered cairn from this period in Northern or Western Europe.

Skara Brae:

Dating from roughly 3,100 BC to 2,500 BC, Skara Brae is the best preserved Neolithic village anywhere in Northern or Western Europe. It is a truly special place and possibly my favourite of all the Neolithic sites in Orkney. Because this is where people lived and worked, if you want to try and connect, on some basic human level, with the daily lives of the early farmers who settled in Orkney 5,000 years ago, there is nowhere better than Skara Brae.