ANCIENT SHARA BRAE

A Stunning Neolithic Village

Skara Brae is a 5000-year-old Neolithic village. I quote from the brochure: In the winter of 1850 a wild storm stripped the grass from the high dune known as Skara Brae in the Bay of Skaill on Mainland, Orkney. An immense midden or refuse heap was uncovered. So too were the ruins of ancient dwellings. What came to light in that storm proved to be the best preserved Neolithic village in northern Europe. And it remains that today.

The village of Skara Brae was inhabited before the Egyptian pyramids were built, and flourished many centuries before construction began on Stonehenge. It is some 5000 years old.

But it is not its age alone that makes it so remarkable and so important. It is the degree to which it has been preserved.

The structures of this semi-subterranean village survive in impressive condition. And so, amazingly, does the furniture in the village houses. Nowhere else in northern Europe are we able to see such rich evidence of how our remote ancestors actually lived.

The profound importance of this remarkable site was given official recognition in 1999 when it was inscribed upon the World Heritage list as part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.

The storm’s uncovering revealed the outline of a series of stone buildings that intrigued the local laird, William Watt of Skaill who began the excavation of the site. Eight dwellings are linked by low alley-ways. The walls of the huts were still standing and the alley-ways were roofed with their original stone slabs. Each house shares the same design---a large square room with a central fireplace, a bed on either side and a shelved dresser on the wall opposite the doorway.

We were able to look down into the structures and see the furniture, all of stone. A docent was at a site that exposed an underground drainage system for us to see! It is estimated 500-600 people lived in this village. No weapons were found, so it is assumed they were a peaceful people, but it is a complete mystery as to why they disappeared.

I got goose bumps to realize where we were and how many years ago life was here. What a fantastic site, and I swear I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.

After viewing the site we continued on a fairly long walk to a 1620s farmhouse on the property. We toured the inside noting the beautiful 1624 wooden panel that came from St. Magnus Cathedral. Otherwise there was nothing of exceptional interest in the house.

This was a remarkable visit to this memorial site!