History of Orkney - Prehistoric Orkney

Prehistoric Orkney

As with Prehistoric Scotland generally, the arrival of hunter gatherers in Orkney had to await the slow retreat of the ice age glaciation. However the rapid spread of Neolithic culture up the western seaways brought early farming settlements and Megalithic culture. Prevalent use of the local sandstone which appears on the shore ready split into convenient building slabs has assisted with the preservation of numerous structures from this period. Numerous early stone structures are extant including prehistoric villages, brochs, souterrain structures, chambered cairns and standing stones'

The oldest stone house still standing in northern Europe (occupied from 3500 BC to 3100 BC) is at Knap of Howar on the island of Papa Westray, with walls intact to a low eaves height, and stone furniture looking very usable. Finely made and decorated Unstan ware pottery links the inhabitants to chambered cairn tombs nearby. Similar houses at Skara Brae on the Mainland are grouped into a village linked by low passageways, and date from about 3000 BC to 2500 BC. Pottery found here is of the grooved ware style which was found at the Standing Stones of Stenness, close to the exceptional Maeshowe passage grave type chambered cairn of about the same period.

The nearby Ring of Brodgar circle of standing stones was one of the first to be analysed by Professor Alexander Thom to establish the likely use of standing stones as astronomical observatories. Another Neolithic village has been found in the vicinity at Barnhouse Settlement.

The brochs of Orkney occur on several islands; these structures are often isolated fortified units such as Burroughston Broch on Shapinsay or surrounded by numerous other dwellings and ancillary structures such as the Broch of Gurness. In many cases the brochs also had elaborate ditch and rampart circumferential defences. Both Burroughston Broch and the Broch of Gurness have interesting guard chambers within their thick drystone walls to monitor the single entrance passages.