World Heritage Status
| Heart of Neolithic Orkney | |
|---|---|
| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iii, iv |
| Reference | 514 |
| UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1999 |
‘The Heart of Neolithic Orkney’ was inscribed as a World Heritage site in December 1999. In addition to the Standing Stones of Stenness, the site includes Maeshowe, Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and other nearby sites. It is managed by Historic Scotland, whose 'Statement of Significance' for the site begins:
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...Stenness is a unique and early expression of the ritual customs of the people who buried their dead in tombs like Maes Howe and lived in settlements like Skara Brae.
Read more about this topic: Standing Stones Of Stenness
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