Excavations in Orkney reveal ruin of 5,000-year-old tomb, filled with 14 skeletons
The archaeologists unearthed the ruins of a 5,000-year-old tomb in Orkney, which reflected the best construction example of neolithic engineering in northern Britain.
During the excavation, 14 articulated skeletons of women, men and children – two of them positioned in a way as if they were embracing each other – were discovered inside one of the six cells or side rooms.
The tomb has been measuring more than 15m in diameter and includes a stone structure, which can be reached through a long passage which is around seven metres.
Senior curator of prehistory (neolithic) at the National Museums Scotland Dr Hugo Anderson-Whymark along with professor of neolithic archaeology at Cardiff University Vicki Cummings headed the excavation.
Anderson-Whymark spoke to The Guardian about the “incredible excitement” as they removed topsoil and started seeing the outline plan of this tomb, which is circular in shape and has a rectangular chamber which is surrounded by six cells with curved backs.
“Seven or eight metres across the interior is really big. We had found not only the tomb, but then in situ articulated skeletons – the icing on the cake,” he said.
He added that the corbelled construction included stones which were built up gradually for creating cell chambers that continued to narrow as they rose.
“They really are engineering feats. The tomb would have been an immense feature in the landscape when it was originally constructed, and the stonework inside would have been very impressive,” he said.
Orkney and its Neolithic tombs
Till now, the site was overlooked as it faced destruction during the 18th or 19th centuries when stone was used for constructing a building nearby, which was demolished about a decade ago.
After digging further into the ruins, traces of a wall were discovered along with a stone macehead, a ball and eight skeletons.
Antiquary James Walls Cursiter reported these discoveries in a local newspaper and stated that it was likely a ruined tomb.
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Speaking about Orkney being filled with neolithic tombs, Anderson-Whymark said: “Orkney is exceptionally rich in archaeology, but we never expected to find a tomb of this size in such a small-scale excavation. It’s incredible to think this once impressive monument was nearly lost without record.”
“It is incredibly rare to find these tomb deposits, even in well-preserved chambered tombs, and these remains will enable new insights into all aspects of these peoples’ lives,” Cummings added while speaking to The Guardian.
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