Knowra Skara Brae Skara Brae Skara Brae is a Neolithic village on Orkney, Scotland, whose stone houses and furnishings were preserved beneath sand. Its remains provide an unusually detailed view of domestic life around 5,000 years ago.
Neolithic : The later part of the Stone Age, when farming and settled communities spread across many regions. Skara Brae’s houses belong to this era of permanent settlement.
House 7, Skara Brae : A well-preserved house at Skara Brae, notable for its layout and association with burials. Its unusual features make it a distinctive case within the village.
Radiocarbon dating : A method for estimating the age of once-living material by measuring its carbon-14 content. Dating organic material helped place Skara Brae’s occupation in the Neolithic.
Sand dune : A hill or ridge of sand formed and moved by wind. Sand covered the abandoned village and shielded its structures for millennia.
Orkney : An archipelago off northeastern Scotland, known for prehistoric monuments and archaeological sites. Skara Brae stands on Orkney’s largest island, Mainland.
Grooved Ware : A style of Neolithic pottery characterized by grooves and geometric decoration, especially associated with Britain and Ireland. Fragments found at Skara Brae connect the settlement to a wider pottery tradition.
Vere Gordon Childe : An Australian archaeologist known for influential work on European prehistory and excavations at Skara Brae. His 1920s excavations clarified the settlement’s layout and archaeological significance.
Coastal erosion : The wearing away of shorelines by waves, tides, and other coastal processes. Erosion exposed Skara Brae and continues to threaten its coastal setting.
Stone-built architecture : Architecture that uses stone as a primary construction material. Local stone formed the village’s walls, beds, hearths, and storage fittings.
Skara Brae stone balls : Carved stone objects found at Skara Brae, including examples with knobs and intricate patterns. Their varied forms show the range of crafted objects recovered from the village.
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