Interior view of S end of Isbister Neolithic chambered cairn, Orkney, Scotland, UK, showing two pairs of upright slabs dividing chamber into stalls.
Interior view of the S end of Isbister Neolithic chambered cairn, Orkney, Scotland, UK, showing two pairs of upright slabs dividing the chamber into stalls. There is a shelved compartment at the end, the entrance to a corbelled cell rear R & the main entrance passage front L. The tomb is a hybrid: a stalled cairn of 5 compartments with 3 side-cells, one on the E, 2 on the W. The W cells were used primarily for human skulls and the carcasses & talons of white-tailed sea-eagles, possibly a clan totem. The tomb is popularly known as the Tomb of the Eagles. Burial deposits were made over a long period (800 years?) starting around 3,000BC, with bone remains from an estimated 340 people: the bodies were excarnated (exposed to the elements) & selected bones arranged in groups in the tomb. Offerings of fish & meat were made to the dead. Up to 40% of the 85 human skulls show traumatic injuries, some of which had healed but many were the apparent cause of death. The tomb was excavated by the farmer, the late Ronald Simison, & written up by archaeologist John Hedges. Orkney Islands Council placed a concrete roof over the chamber to protect it.
Size: 4961px × 3719px
Location: Isbister Chambered Cairn, Liddle Farm, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK
Photo credit: © Mick Sharp / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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