Skara Brae

Neolithic village of stone-built houses in Orkney, Scotland, preserved beneath a sand dune with occupation c 3100-2500 BC. In its latest phase the village consisted of six or seven houses and a workshop hut, all clustered together and linked by paved alleyways. The associated pottery was of Grooved Ware type. Furniture included beds, hearths, tables, dressers and cupboards.

A Neolithic settlement on the island of Orkney, north Scotland. It was first excavated by Gordon Childe in the 1920s, while restricted re-excavation took place in the 1970s. The buildings and internal fittings were all made of stone and survive in remarkably good condition, preserved within a midden deposit and covered by blown sand. In the final phase the village consisted of six or seven houses and a separate workshop, linked by paved paths. Furniture includes beds, hearths, tables, dressers and cupboards. The sea provided much of the food supply, in the form of both sea mammals and shellfish, but sheep and cattle were both kept. Until recently it was assumed that agriculture would not have been possible in the harsh conditions of Orkney, but seeds found by froth flotation during the recent excavations indicate that it was practised, though probably on a small scale only. The settlement is dated to the Late Neolithic, c2000 be, and the associated pottery is Grooved ware.