Skara Brae Research Articles

Landscapes for Neolithic People in Mainland, Orkney

Neolithic occupation of the Orkney Islands, in the north of Scotland, probably began in the mid fourth millennium cal BC, culminating in a range of settlements, including stone-built houses, varied stone-built tombs and two noteworthy stone circles. The environmental and landscape context of the spectacular archaeology, however, remains poorly understood. We applied the Multiple Scenario Approach (MSA) to Neolithic pollen records from Mainland, Orkney, in order to understand land cover and landscape openness across the timespan 4200–2200 cal BC. Interpreted within a framework provided by Bayesian chronological modelling, 406 radiocarbon dates from archaeological contexts and a further 103 from palaeoenvironmental samples provide the basis for the first detailed reconstruction of the spatio-temporal patterns of Neolithic people and their environment. Major alterations to the land cover of Mainland took place from 3400 cal BC (reduction in woodland from 20% to 10%) and from 3200 cal BC (increase in disturbed land from 3% to 30%). The dramatic increase in disturbed land coincided with the Grooved Ware phenomenon and the establishment of settlements at Skara Brae and Ness of Brodgar. The upturn in the signal for disturbance communities in the pollen record may indicate an increase in the amount of land used as pasture. This accords with the archaeological record, since the Neolithic Orcadian economy probably relied heavily on cattle for subsistence. By 2800 cal BC in the core of the Orkney Mainland, most settlements appear to have been ending, with people dispersing into the wider landscape, as the MSA modelling indicates a maintenance of disturbed land, and indeed a subsequent slight increase, implying persistence of human activity elsewhere in Mainland. People exhausted themselves rather than their land; that and its varied resources endured, while the intensive social relationships and practices of the peak of late Neolithic Orkney could not be maintained.

Beside the Ocean: Coastal Landscapes at the Bay of Skaill, Marwick, and Birsay Bay, Orkney. Archaeological Research 2003–2018. By DavidGriffiths, JaneHarrison and MichaelAthanson. Oxford and Philadelphia: Oxbow Books. 2019. xxviii + 346 pp. £45. ISBN 978 1 78925 096 1 (hardback); ISBN 978 1 78925 097 8 (epub).

Beside the Ocean: Coastal Landscapes at the Bay of Skaill, Marwick, and Birsay Bay, Orkney. Archaeological Research 2003–2018. By DavidGriffiths, JaneHarrison and MichaelAthanson. Oxford and Philadelphia: Oxbow Books. 2019. xxviii + 346 pp. £45. ISBN 978 1 78925 096 1 (hardback); ISBN 978 1 78925 097 8 (epub).

Combined visual and biochemical analyses confirm depositor and diet for Neolithic coprolites from Skara Brae

Coprolites (fossilized faeces) can provide valuable insights into species’ diet and related habits. In archaeozoological contexts, they are a potential source of information on human-animal interactions as well as human and animal subsistence. However, despite a broad discussion on coprolites in archaeology, such finds are rarely subject to detailed examination by researchers, perhaps due to the destructive nature of traditional analytical methods. Here, we have examined coprolitic remains from the Neolithic (third millennium BCE) settlement at Skara Brae, Orkney, using a range of modern methods: X-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy, lipid and protein analysis (shotgun proteomics of the coprolite matrix as well as collagen peptide mass fingerprinting of isolated bone fragments). This combined approach minimised destructiveness of sampling, leaving sufficient material for subsequent study, while providing more information than traditional morphological examination alone. Based on gross visual examination, coprolites were predominantly attributed to domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), with morphologically identified bone inclusions derived from domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and common voles (Microtus arvalis). Partial dissection of a coprolite provided bone samples containing protein markers akin to those of domestic sheep. Considering the predominance of vertebral and distal limb bone fragments, Skara Brae dogs were probably consuming human butchery or meal refuse, either routinely fed to them or scavenged. The presumably opportunistic consumption of rodents may also have played a role in pest control.

Seaweed-eating sheep and the adaptation of husbandry in Neolithic Orkney: new insights from Skara Brae

Abstract

Modern Rune Carving in Northern Scotland.

This article discusses modern runic inscriptions from Orkney and Caithness. It presents various examples, some of which were previously considered “genuine”, and reveals that OR 13 Skara Brae is of ...

The First Post-Kepler Brightness Dips of KIC 8462852

Abstract We present a photometric detection of the first brightness dips of the unique variable star KIC 8462852 since the end of the Kepler space mission in 2013 May. Our regular photometric surveillance started in 2015 October, and a sequence of dipping began in 2017 May continuing on through the end of 2017, when the star was no longer visible from Earth. We distinguish four main 1%–2.5% dips, named “Elsie,” “Celeste,” “Skara Brae,” and “Angkor,” which persist on timescales from several days to weeks. Our main results so far are as follows: (i) there are no apparent changes of the stellar spectrum or polarization during the dips and (ii) the multiband photometry of the dips shows differential reddening favoring non-gray extinction. Therefore, our data are inconsistent with dip models that invoke optically thick material, but rather they are in-line with predictions for an occulter consisting primarily of ordinary dust, where much of the material must be optically thin with a size scale ≪1 μm, and may also be consistent with models invoking variations intrinsic to the stellar photosphere. Notably, our data do not place constraints on the color of the longer-term “secular” dimming, which may be caused by independent processes, or probe different regimes of a single process.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Angus Graham and Gordon Childe (1935–46)

This paper explores the story of Scotland’s national survey body, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, between 1935 and 1946, with reference to Angus Graham, their Secretary, and Vere Gordon Childe, perhaps the best-known archaeologist of the 20th century. Much of the narrative describes the Commission’s survey of Orkney and Shetland, an eight year project which brought close contact with Childe, and special attention is given to debate over the Neolithic sites at Skara Brae and Rinyo. The outbreak of war in 1939 delayed their report for some seven years, but the government supported a major programme of rescue recording to mitigate damage caused by enemy bombing and the training of allied troops. In 1938 Childe was passed over for membership of the Commission, who felt that they had sufficient archaeological expertise. His extreme anger at this snub was to be reflected in a negative review of their forthcoming report, but was allayed by neat footwork on the part of the chairman. In 1942, when the Commissioners did indeed put Childe forward as a member it was the Secretary of State for Scotland that stood in their way. Dedicated efforts by the Commission finally persuaded him that Childe was not in fact a Communist threat, and he and Graham went on to record some 636 ancient monuments, while Graham alone took 2,200 images of historic buildings. The archive material (and Graham’s diaries in particular) shine a light on what was a pioneering project in testing times. The circumstances of the war, and the short duration of Childe’s membership, meant that his influence was in fact felt through fieldwork and not, as one may have expected, in the development of the Commission’s over-arching syntheses.

Containment, closure and red deer

Erosion of sand dunes in the Bay of Skaill, close to the Neolithic site at Skara Brae, exposed a spread of faunal remains and stone tools representing a Late Neolithic butchery site separated by a wall from a deposit of articulated red deer bone. This is an unusual and significant bone assemblage comprising both fragmented and articulated remains of red deer together with some domesticates. Also a whale mandible was closely associated with the butchery area. An interpretation of the site incorporates a reappraisal of the role of red deer and cattle elsewhere in Late Neolithic Orkney.

Rodents: food or pests in Neolithic Orkney.

Rodents have important effects on contemporary human societies, sometimes providing a source of food but more often as agricultural pests, or as vectors and reservoirs of disease. Skeletal remains of rodents are commonly found in archaeological assemblages from around the world, highlighting their potential importance to ancient human populations. However, there are few studies of the interactions between people and rodents at such sites and most of these are confined to locations where rodents have formed a part of the recent diet. Here we compare the accumulation pattern of rodent remains from four locations within and adjacent to the renowned Neolithic site of Skara Brae, Orkney, showing that those within the settlement itself were the result of deliberate human activity. The accumulation and nature of burnt bones, incorporated over an extended period within deposits of household waste, indicate that rodents were used as a nutritional resource and may have been the subject of early pest control. We, therefore, provide the first evidence for the exploitation or control of rodents by the Neolithic inhabitants of Europe.

Storm and Stone: Accidental Archaeology at Skara Brae in Orkney

Storm and Stone: Accidental Archaeology at Skara Brae in Orkney

3D DOCUMENTATION OF GLOBAL HISTORIC SITES: THE ‘SCOTTISH TEN’ PROJECT AND ITS APPLICATIONS FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. The Scottish Ten project seeks to digitally document World Heritage Sites in Scotland and culturally significant international heritage sites, using technologies such as terrestrial laser scanning, aerial LiDAR, high resolution photography, digital photogrammetry, high-accuracy GPS and digital total stations. The project has numerous aims, centering around conservation, cultural heritage management, promoting Scotland's technical and scientific expertise and Scottish cultural connections. This paper focuses on the recent 3D survey work in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site in Scotland. Two principal sites, Skara Brae and Maeshowe, are described, the methodologies undertaken and the results so far. Aside from generating accurate survey records, data will be utilised for analysis and interpretation, monitoring, visualisation and numerous other purposes. Although the data is still at the early stages of processing, the paper highlights the significant potential of 3D survey for understanding and managing the Heart of Neolithic Orkney and the benefits of 3D survey for cultural heritage applications in general.

Protocol for Recording Enamel Hypoplasia in Modern and Archaeological Caprine Populations

This paper outlines the first methodology for recording dental enamel hypoplasia in the high-crowned dentition of modern and archaeological caprine teeth. The method has been developed and trialed on five caprine populations from Orkney (UK); two modern populations (Shetland and North Ronaldsay breeds) and three Neolithic assemblages from the archaeological sites of Knap of Howar, Skara Brae and Holm of Papa Westray. Problems associated with differential tooth wear, as well as the presence of coronal cementum are discussed, and recommendations are given on the identification and recording of hypoplastic dental defects in caprines.

Gordon Childe and Scottish Archaeology: The Edinburgh Years 1927–1946

This article considers Childe's career in Scotland, where he was Abercromby Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at Edinburgh University 1927–1946, and assesses his impact on Scottish archaeology and the Scottish archaeological community. Matters discussed include his development of teaching programmes and resources within the university, and his association with the Edinburgh League of Prehistorians. His excavation and fieldwork at Skara Brae and elsewhere, and his publications during this span, are considered. Childe's collaborations with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and the National Museum, especially during the Second World War, are reviewed. The archaeological achievements of some of his Edinburgh students are briefly summarized.

The other British Isles: a history of Shetland, Orkney, the Hebrides, Isle of Man, Anglesey, Scilly, Isle of Wight, and the Channel Islands

Their names bespeak a rich and varied past, belying their paucity of notice by historians. From the Norse Hjaltland comes the modern Shetland: islands nominally Scottish, steeped in Nordic culture, closer to the Arctic Circle than to London. Important neolithic sites at Skara Brae and Maes Howe in the Orkneys wallow in anonymity next to Stonehenge. Holy Iona, island center of early Christianity; the Isle of Man, former seat of rule over the Irish Sea; Anglesey and Islay, homes of forgotten Medieval courts at Aberffraw and Loch Finlaggan - these are just a few of the more than 6,000 islands that form the archipelago known as the British Isles. Inhabited for millennia and today home to half a million people, the offshore British Isles demonstrate that Great Britain is far more than just England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. This history of Britain's other islands sheds light on a fundamental but neglected aspect of the past.~Focusing on the eight islands or chains that have long supported substantial populations, it tells the stories of the Shetlands, the Orkneys, the Hebrides, the Channel Islands, the Scilly Isles and the Isles of Man and Wight. From their earliest settlement, to Roman, Norse and Norman occupation, to the struggle to maintain their unique identities in today's world, the lives of these islands are a fascinating slice of European history. A chapter is devoted to each, and maps of the islands are included. Appendices provide geographical descriptions, population statistics, political and economic profiles. A select bibliography and index are included.

Characterizing anthropic sediments in north European Neolithic settlements: An assessment from Skara Brae, Orkney

AbstractThe creation of anthropic sediments, traditionally referred to under the blanket term midden, through the utilization of settlement waste materials in domestic settlement construction was first recognized during early excavations at the Orcadian Neolithic site of Skara Brae (V.G. Childe, 1931a; 1931b). Prior to the present study there has been no systematic attempt to identify the nature of these sediments at Skara Brae, whose likely occupation dates between ˜3100 and 2500 B.C., or to assess whether different materials were incorporated into construction or varied with different phases of site formation. The opportunity to begin addressing these issues arose with the location of undisturbed sediment samples held in storage since the last site excavations of 1972–1973 (D.V. Clarke, 1976). Ten thin sections were manufactured from these samples, representing earlier and later phases of Neolithic settlement at Skara Brae. Observations using thin‐section micromorphology, supported by total phosphorus and particle‐size distribution analyses, suggest that both earlier and later settlement phases show accumulation of household waste dominated by fuel residues. These wastes may have been used to help stabilize wind‐blown sand deposits during the later settlement phases. In addition, the use of clay material tempered with household waste is associated with wall construction. Animal manures are only evident in anthropic deposits on the edge of the main settlement site where composting may have been taking place, and there is no evidence for their use in site construction. The authors conclude by drawing attention to possible diverse uses of anthropic sediments in settlement construction at other Neolithic settlements in Orkney. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Antimicrobial proteins in crustaceans.

Crustacean shellfish along with their molluscan relatives have been an important source of food for humans for much of history. Shells of marine invertebrates have been found littered amongst the remains of primitive cooking utensils uncovered during twentieth century excavations of the neolithic settlements at Skara Brae on the Isle of Orkney, north of Scotland. Shrimps and prawns are listed amongst the crucial ingredients of a rich salty sauce, known as liquamen which was popular in Imperial Rome. They are also known to have been a major source of protein for the early settlers in the Chesapeake Bay area of North America (hence contributing, in a small way, to the colonization of the New World by Europeans) Because of their abundance in the (then) clean waters of coasts and rivers, they have been a cheap and available form of nourishment for many ofthe poor in Britain from mediaeval times through to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Throughout other parts of the world, too, shellfish, have been, and in some countries still are, a prime form of sustenance for impoverished coastal villages and communities, as tragically revealed by the huge degree of human depriva ion caused recently by hurricane damage in Honduras and which destroyed much of the country's small shrimp industry, upon which many thousands of people depended.

A decorated skaill knife from Skara Brae, Orkney

A newly recognised stone implement is described. The implement is of expedient nature and its schematic incised motifs suggest a trial piece, perhaps linked to the design of pottery decoration.

Lecture Summaries

Ten lecture summaries:The Excavations of the Baroque palace and garden of the Earls of Mar at AlloaThe Neolithic settlement of Eilean Domhnuill, Loch Olabhat, North UistThe furnishing of the Palace of Holyroodhouse for the French Princes in 1796Disease in Scotland's past: the evidence from the bonesScottish Place-Names: signposts to the pastThe Sources of the Early Medieval Animal Ornament of the British IslesThe Norse, the Northern Isles and the North Atlantic: connections and contextNew light on Neolithic rock carving: the petroglyphs at Greenland, DunbartonshireOn the Drawing Room from Hamilton PalaceExcavations at Skara Brae and Rinyo: research and redemption

Skaill, Sandwick, Orkney: Preliminary Investigations of a Mound-site near Skara Brae

Summary A large mound-site near Skara Brae has been subject to severe erosion. Surveys of the site have been undertaken and major structural elements recognised. It is a ‘settlement mound’ as recently recognised elsewhere in Orkney, but in addition probably had a Viking grave placed in it. Earlier structural elements are undated and may be early prehistoric. The site is considered against the context of the archaeology of the Bay of Skaill.

Hair remains throw light on early British prehistoric cattle

A new find of hair on a neolithic ox skull from Skara Brae, Orkney, is compared with previous British prehistoric finds, and found to have features that have been previously suggested to belong to Bos primigenius.