Tombs of the Orkney Islands, Scotland
The Archaeology of Early Neolithic Burial Practices
Jul 17, 2009
The rich archaeological evidence of the Orkney Islands provides us a glimpse at one stage, frozen in time, of a lengthy funerary process, which may seem foreign to many of us today.
Archaeology of the Tombs
An unusually high number of early Neolithic tombs (estimated at nearly 30) are concentrated on the slopes of the small island of Rousay. Some researchers speculate that Rousay was a special funeral island. No settlement site from this early period has been found there, and it is highly likely that people were traveling across the water to bring their dead to this special place.
A non-descript rectangular building sits on the south-western coast of the island, only 100 feet from the shoreline, looking over the sea. Inside this protective building, one steps back in time nearly 5000 years, into the remains of Midhowe, one of the best-preserved stone tombs in the islands.
Archaeologists excavated Midhowe in 1934, finding the remains of at least 25 individuals—17 adults, 6 adolescents and 2 children. The long, narrow tomb consists of a central walkway with stone slabs projecting from the walls like doorframes to create separate cells. Mostly complete human skeletons were found lying on their sides on stone benches along the right-hand side of the tomb, facing toward the walkway. Two cells contained piles of disarticulated bones topped with skulls, as if gathered together in a pile after decomposition. Fragmentary animal bones and pieces of decorated pottery were mixed among the human remains.
A few kilometers away to the east, higher up on the moorland slopes, is another smaller burial mound—the Knowe of Yarso, dated to around 2900 BCE. Yarso is similar in layout, but much shorter, with only four compartments. The partial remains of 29 people were housed here, interspersed with broken and burnt animal bones. In the small end chamber, at least 17 human skulls, without their mandibles, sat on the floor against the walls, facing into the chamber. Certainly an eerie sight for Neolithic visitors to the tomb, and for the archaeologists who excavated the chamber!
Stone Age Burial Practices
One can imagine crossing the rough waters between the islands, in a small boat, transporting a dead relative, with the burial mounds rising up on the island slopes ahead. The tombs’ locations—on small islands, steep slopes, moorland areas away from settlements—may have highlighted the experience of passing from the realm of life to that of death.
Walking along the dark, narrow passageway inside the tomb, the visitor would inevitably see a skull here or a pile of bones there, bringing into sharp relief the continued physical presence of their ancestors.
An individual’s complete skeleton is rarely found in a tomb. Some parts may have been moved to different tombs. At the Knowe of Yarso, for example, the separation of skulls and long bones, and the lack of mandibles and small bones, suggests that these remains were moved there after the bodies decomposed. These practices continued into the later Neolithic, such as at the famous Tomb of the Eagles.
While some remains were left in tombs, others may have been taken back to settlements to be used in rituals of which we have no trace. Perhaps only some bones were burnt and broken, while others like skulls were kept whole and housed, and still others were deposited near the home or at sea.
In the early Neolithic of Orkney, dying and mourning were hands-on processes and the relationship between the living and the dead did not end with entombment.
Click here for excellent information on the archaeology and cultural heritage of Orkney.
Sources:
Callander, G. and W. Grant. (1934) “A Long Stalled Chambered Cairn or Mausoleum (Rousay Type) Near Midhowe, Rousay, Orkney.” Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 12 March: 320-351.
Jones, A. (1998) “Where Eagles Dare: Landscape, Animals and the Neolithic of Orkney.” Journal of Material Culture 3: 301-324.
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