Ancient Orkney, Centre of the Neolithic World | Timeless Travels Magazine

The Ring of Brodgar. Photo: Garry Shaw.

At first there's darkness. Then, the sound of crumbling. Now a ray of light shines down from above. Ah, we're looking at the ceiling, but what's going on? The hole widens. There's more light. Snowflakes fall towards the floor. Then, in drops a Viking, followed by a group of his companions. Shivering from the snowstorm raging outside, they use their flaming torches to investigate their new surroundings: an ancient tomb. With shadows shimmering, they discover that the chamber is square, formed of layers of carefully placed stones. As the walls rise, just above head-height, the space between them begins to narrow until only a small gap separates them, like looking up inside a hollow pyramid. Three smaller chambers lead off to the sides, and a long squat corridor disappears ahead, still blocked at its entrance. Outside, in the snow, a grass-covered earthen mound covers the tomb. Footprints lead to its peak. The storm rages on. The Vikings resign themselves to being here for some time.

This tomb is today known as Maeshowe. It  was built in around 2800 BC and is one of many Neolithic monuments on the Orkney Islands, just off the northern coast of Scotland. Indeed, this collection of around seventy islands has one of the highest concentrations of well-preserved Neolithic monuments anywhere in Europe; tombs, settlements, and ceremonial sites that have intrigued people for thousands of years, from the Neolithic population's Bronze Age successors, through to the Norse Vikings who ruled the islands from the 9th to the 14th century, and into the modern day. The escapades of the Vikings that broke into Maeshowe (known to them as Orkahaugr) in January 1153 was even recorded in the Orkneyinga Saga, written in the thirteenth century. According to the saga, among the group was Earl Harald Maddadarson, co-ruler of Orkney from 1139, and two men that went insane within Maeshowe (though we don't know why).

To download the full pdf, click on the following link: Ancient Orkney, Centre of the Neolithic World.