Skara Brae: The prehistoric settlement older than Stonehenge
We’re all familiar with Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza, but did you know that Skara Brae is older than both?
Image: stock.adobe.com
When we think of ancient civilisations, we often picture archaeological sites such as the Great Pyramids or Stonehenge, both of which date to around 2500 BC.
However, Skara Brae is older than both. Located on the Orkney Islands, an archipelago situated to the north of Scotland, Skara Brae is considered the best-preserved Neolithic village in all of Western Europe.
In this article, Sky HISTORY explores the events surrounding Skara Brae’s discovery, its fascinating history and the ongoing mystery of its abandonment.
A monumental discovery
One of the most important archaeological finds in history was made almost by mistake. In 1850, a severe storm battered the Orkney Mainland, removing the vegetation atop a grassy mound located near the Bay of Skaill.
Beneath was revealed the remains of a prehistoric village. The landowner, William Watt, drafted in the services of a local antiquarian named George Petrie. Initially, the site was thought to date from the Iron Age and be no older than 2,500 years. However, subsequent excavations and investigations over the ensuing decades would reveal Skara Brae to date from between as far back as 3200 BC, making it over 5,000 years old.
In total, nine Neolithic structures were uncovered, representing one of the oldest and best-preserved prehistoric settlements to be found anywhere on Earth.
Set in stone
One of the chief reasons why Skara Brae is so immaculately preserved is the fact that everything within the houses – including all the beds, dressers and other furniture – is constructed from the stone. This is likely due to the fact that there were no trees on the island and wood was incredibly scarce, so was used for making tools rather than home furnishings.
Each of the structures follows the same basic pattern. They consist of a single large square room, with a fireplace at its centre, a dresser facing the entrance and beds set into recesses on the walls on either side. One of the structures does not contain a bed and instead houses some sort of altar, suggesting that it was used for ritualistic purposes. However, its true significance is not fully understood, in much the same way that we do not know why Stonehenge was built.
Another amazing find at Skara Brae is the system of plumbing. Each house appears to have contained an indoor toilet – an attractive modern convenience during the harsh Scottish winter – complete with underfloor drainage to a central latrine. Modern-day Orcadians wouldn’t enjoy such luxury until the 20th century.
A peaceful people
Artefacts found at the site suggest that the Skara Brae dwellers were likely farming folk. They reared sheep, goats and cattle, subsisting mostly off the meat and produce of these animals. There is also ample evidence that they cultivated crops such as wheat and barley.
Their proximity to the sea meant that they would likely also have harvested shellfish such as limpets and winkles, as well as fishing for eels and trout in the lochs. Meanwhile, tools made from antlers indicate they also hunted deer on the nearby plains. A distinctive type of pottery, known as Grooved Ware, is also believed to have originated on Orkney and has been found as far afield as Newgrange in Ireland, indicating the influence and renown of these potters.
There is little evidence that the residents of Skara Brae had need for violence or self-defence. As well as there being nothing in the way of weaponry found during excavations, the layout of the village would have been very susceptible to attack. The fact that things were set up in this way suggests that they did not fear invasion or assault from man or beast.
An unexplained disappearance
Archaeologists agree that Skara Brae was deserted and remained uninhabited from around 2500 BC onwards. Why, after taking such trouble to construct a subterranean village, was it then abandoned and never returned to?
This particular question remains a mystery. One theory is that climatic conditions made continued residence here untenable. Some historians suggest a giant sandstorm or other devastating natural disaster engulfed the site and forced its citizens to flee, with one even dramatically imagining a female to have lost her necklace in the rush to escape. There is, however, little evidence to support this hypothesis.
Indeed, coastal erosion means that Skara Brae is now much closer to the shoreline than it would have been millennia ago. As such, the most likely explanation is that people simply found better living conditions elsewhere and decided to up sticks in order to improve their lot. But, as with many questions from prehistory, we’ll never really know the answer for sure.
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