Skara Brae

Skara Brae, the best-preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe, situated in the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland. It was discovered in 1850 when a severe storm washed away part of a sand dune, and was first properly excavated in 1920 by the archaeologist Gordon Childe. The site was continuously occupied for approximately 600 years (c. 3100 bc-2500 bc), and it provides unique evidence of the daily life in the Orkneys in the late Neolithic era. Most of the household furniture as well as the houses was made of stone rather than wood, probably because of the lack of trees in the Orkney Islands and the suitability of the local stone. This has meant that a great deal of material has survived, and we can see the hearths, dressers, tables, and even stone beds still in place in the houses. The later phase of the village (which can be seen today), consists of six to seven houses, and what may have been a workshop. It is possible that the settlement was originally larger, and that other houses may have been eroded by the sea. The houses were clustered closely together and sunk into deliberately gathered midden material made up of domestic refuse, probably to provide protection against the weather.

The people of Skara Brae were a largely self-sufficient farming community who fished, kept cattle and some pigs, and grew crops on a small scale, mainly barley and some wheat. They used stone tools, but flint suitable for the manufacture of efficient stone tools is scarce in Orkney, so most of their tools were made from bone or wood. It is not known why the village was eventually abandoned; a huge sandstorm may have forced immediate evacuation, or it may have been abandoned gradually over a period of time. At the time of its discovery, Skara Brae was thought to be unique, but three similar sites in the Orkneys have since been found which may prove to be equally revealing when eventually excavated. They were jointly named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.