Maeshowe Type Chambered Cairn
Cuween Chambered Cairn
Holm of Papa Westray Chambered Cairn Centre
Maeshowe Chambered Cairn
Quanterness Chambered Cairn
Quoyness Chambered Cairn
Vinquoy Chambered Cairn
Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn
Maeshowe Type Chambered Cairn is in Orkney Chambered Cairns.
Maeshowe Type Chambered Cairn have a central chamber that is reached by a low, long entrance passage. One, or more, side chambers branch of from the main central chamber.
Cuween Chambered Cairn [Map] is a Maeshowe Type Chambered Cairn on the main island of Orkney similar to Maeshowe Chambered Cairn [Map] albeit smaller.
Europe, British Isles, Scotland, Orkney Islands, Orkney, Finstown, Cuween Chambered Cairn [Map]
Cuween Chambered Cairn [Map] is a Maeshowe Type Chambered Cairn on the main island of Orkney similar to Maeshowe Chambered Cairn [Map] albeit smaller.
Europe, British Isles, Scotland, Orkney Islands, Orkney, Ness of Brodgar, Maeshowe Chambered Cairn [Map]
Carbon Date. 3094BC. Middle Neolithic Carbon Dates
Report: From under bank - ?OGS at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4445, C14 ID: SRR-791 Date BP: 5094 +/- 60, Start Date BP: 5034, End BP: 5154
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 2135BC. Early Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Silty peat above bedrock at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4446, C14 ID: SRR-505 Date BP: 4135 +/- 65, Start Date BP: 4070, End BP: 4200
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 1970BC. Middle Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Silty peat above bedrock at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland. Comment (lab): duplicate of SRR-505
ID: 4447, C14 ID: Q-1482 Date BP: 3970 +/- 70, Start Date BP: 3900, End BP: 4040
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 1765BC. Middle Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Silty peat from S trench - basal organic material at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4474, C14 ID: Q-1481 Date BP: 3765 +/- 70, Start Date BP: 3695, End BP: 3835
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: C Renfrew, 'Investigations in Orkney' (Res Rep Soc Antiq London 38), 1979, 71; C Renfrew, 'The prehistory of Orkney' (1985)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 1660BC. Middle Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Silty peat from N trench - lower organic layer on inner slope of ditch at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4475, C14 ID: SRR-504 Date BP: 3660 +/- 45, Start Date BP: 3615, End BP: 3705
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: C Renfrew, 'Investigations in Orkney' (Res Rep Soc Antiq London 38), 1979, 71; C Renfrew, 'The prehistory of Orkney' (1985)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 1445BC. Late Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Silty peat from S trench - basal organic material at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland. Comment (lab): replicate measurement of Q-1481
ID: 4476, C14 ID: SRR-524 Date BP: 3445 +/- 50, Start Date BP: 3395, End BP: 3495
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: C Renfrew, 'Investigations in Orkney' (Res Rep Soc Antiq London 38), 1979, 71; C Renfrew, 'The prehistory of Orkney' (1985)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 880BC. Early Iron Age Carbon Dates
Report: Silty peat from S trench at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4477, C14 ID: SRR-523 Date BP: 2880 +/- 45, Start Date BP: 2835, End BP: 2925
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: C Renfrew, 'Investigations in Orkney' (Res Rep Soc Antiq London 38), 1979, 71; C Renfrew, 'The prehistory of Orkney' (1985)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 315. Late Iron Age Carbon Dates
Report: Silty peat from S trench - basal organic material at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4478, C14 ID: SRR-522 Date BP: 1685 +/- 45, Start Date BP: 1640, End BP: 1730
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: C Renfrew, 'Investigations in Orkney' (Res Rep Soc Antiq London 38), 1979, 71; C Renfrew, 'The prehistory of Orkney' (1985)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 765. Early Medieval
Report: Silty peat from S trench - basal organic material at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4479, C14 ID: SRR-521 Date BP: 1235 +/- 40, Start Date BP: 1195, End BP: 1275
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: C Renfrew, 'Investigations in Orkney' (Res Rep Soc Antiq London 38), 1979, 71; C Renfrew, 'The prehistory of Orkney' (1985)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 953. Early Medieval
Report: From later make-up of bank - ? Norse at Maes Howe [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4448, C14 ID: SRR-792 Date BP: 1047 +/- 65, Start Date BP: 982, End BP: 1112
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 318, OS North: 128
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Archaeologia Volume 34 1851 XIII Orkney Chapter II. But the most remarkable tumulus in Orkney is situated a mile to the north-east of the Ring of Stenness, and is called M'eshoo or Meashowe [Map].a This is a very large mound, thirty-six feet in height, and ninety'two in diameter, and is of a bluntly conical outline. The mound occupies the centre of a raised circular platform, which has a radius of eighty-six feet. This is surrounded by a trench twenty feet in breadth, and a circular bank probably inclosed the whole. Many attempts had been made to explore it, as there are several small heaps upon its sides; but at last sufficient force and perseverance was brought to work, and a huge mis-shapen mass upon the east side shews the explorers were successful." Unfortunately no inventory was published of its stores; and such will too generally be the case, so long as the possession of a metal ring or bracelet is liable to be hunted for by an official (like a kittywake by the Skoutie-allan) till the precious bait is disgorged. The law of treasure-trove fuses nearly all antiquities of gold or silver; they find their way to a watch-cobler, and thence to a crucible. It is a mere fiction to assert, that either Queen, Government, or nation can derive any pecuniary benefit from the few articles that are occasionally turned up; in fact, neither of these parties ever see them; and the only way to prevent their conversion is to let it be known that they are the property of those who find them, and that the lucky individual is to get the largest amount of sterling money that the articles will fetch in open market. The more they cost the purchaser, the greater will be the chance of their ultimate preservation.
Note a. Its elevation is marked upon the General Plan.
Archaeological Journal Volume 18 Opening of Maes-Howe. Notice Of The Opening Of A Tumulus In The Parish Of Stenness, On The Mainland Of Orkney.1. By George Petrie, Of Kirkwall, Cor. Mem. S.A. Scot.
During several successive summers James Farrer, Esq., M.P., has visited Orkney, and has excavated a considerable number of the Tumuli which abound in the islands. I have had the pleasure of assisting him with my local knowledge in all these excavations, and I have preserved notes, measurements, and sketches of all that has been done and found.
On occasion of his visit in 1860, Mr. Farrer expressed a desire to open all the larger tumuli in the vicinity of the circle of standing stones at Brogar, Stenness. Some of these had been previously excavated by him, and a large stone urn was found in one of them. By his request I communicated his wish to the Society of Antiquaries in Edinburgh, and their Secretary, Mr. Stuart, immediately wrote to Mr. David Balfour, of Balfour and Trenabie, on whose lands the stones and tumuli stand, and his consent to the excavations was cordially given. As it was then late in the season the work was postponed till the following summer, when it was arranged that a deputation from Edinburgh should be present at the opening of the tumuli. The beginning of July was accordingly fixed; and, in the course of a correspondence between Mr. Balfour and myself on the subject he suggested that a large tumulus in the parish of Stenness, known in the district by the name of Maes-how [Map], and not far distant from the remarkable circle of standing stones known as the Ring of Stenness, should be explored. I immediately acquainted Mr. Farrer with Mr. Balfour's proposal, and he at once agreed to include it in his operations. To expedite matters I visited the place before Mr. Parrer's arrival, and arranged with the contractor for the work, as to the part of the tumulus at which the excavations were to be commenced. Most fortunately it happened that the spot selected was directty over the gallery or passage which leads to the centre of the tumulus, and the covering stones (A and B) of the passage were soon reached.
Note 1. Communicated to the Section of Antiquities, at the Meeting of the Archaeological Institute at Peterborough, July, 1861.
Archaeological Journal Volume 20 Section III. Immediately after the examination of the Bookan barrow the large mound, familiarly known in Orkney as Maes-how [Map], was opened by Mr. Farrer, on the suggestion of Mr. David Balfour, of Balfour and Trenabie, the proprietor of the estate on which Maes-how stands. While the excavations were in progress, I ventured to express an opinion that the building had originally been the chambered tomb of some celebrated warrior or chieftain, and subsequent examinations of the structure, and a comparison with other unquestionably sepulchral mounds, confirmed my first impressions, and left no doubt that Maes-how originally was as certainly a tomb as the Bookan barrow. Now, this point being settled, if it can also be shown that Maes-how belongs in reality to the class of so-called Picts'-houses, the true character of the latter will no longer be a mystery. This I think can be best done by referring to the ground-plan and elevation, from which it will be seen that Maes-how does possess all the usual characteristics of a Picts'-house.2 It has, indeed, been built with more than ordinary care, and the cells are on a higher level than the floor of the central chamber, but in all other important respects the resemblance is complete. In short, it appears to me that Maes-how is identical with the so-called Picts'-houses, and therefore if the former was originally a chambered tomb, of which there seems to be no doubt, the latter may, without hesitation, be classified with the sepulchral buildings of the early colonists of Orkney.
Note 2. Compare the ground-plan and sections of Maes-how, in this Journal, vol. xviii., p. 355.
Europe, British Isles, Scotland, Orkney Islands, Orkney, Ness of Brodgar, Quanterness Chambered Cairn [Map]
3400BC. Quanterness Chambered Cairn [Map] is a Maeshowe type chambered cairn. Radiocarbon dating has placed its construction at 3400 BC. The Rev George Barry excavated the burial monument sometime around 1796 by entering through the roof of the monument. The mound at that time had the shape of a truncated cone, with a height of 4.27 m (14.0 ft).
Carbon Date. 2590BC. Late Neolithic Carbon Dates
Report: Organic-rich soil, from Stratum 1 area III, layer 69 at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. [Ed: TL date OxTL-189a on sherds from main chamber gave 4320 250.]
ID: 4426, C14 ID: Q-1294 Date BP: 4590 +/- 75, Start Date BP: 4515, End BP: 4665
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'Investigations in Orkney' (1979), 73-4; 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 2540BC. Late Neolithic Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as femur, Stratum 3, area II, layer 22 at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4427, C14 ID: Q-1363 Date BP: 4540 +/- 110, Start Date BP: 4430, End BP: 4650
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 2360BC. Early Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as tibiae, Stratum 2, Pit A, same burial as Q-1479 at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4428, C14 ID: SRR-754 Date BP: 4360 +/- 50, Start Date BP: 4310, End BP: 4410
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 2300BC. Early Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as humerus, Pit A, same burial as SRR-754 and Q-1479 at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4429, C14 ID: Pta-1626 Date BP: 4300 +/- 60, Start Date BP: 4240, End BP: 4360
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 2220BC. Early Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as dog tibia, at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. Comment (subm): To confirm not intrusive into tomb.
ID: 4430, C14 ID: Pta-2649 Date BP: 4220 +/- 60, Start Date BP: 4160, End BP: 4280
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Antiquity, 55, 1981, 128; Renfrew C, 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 2170BC. Early Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as femurs, Stratum 2, Pit A, same burial as SRR-754 at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4431, C14 ID: Q-1479 Date BP: 4170 +/- 75, Start Date BP: 4095, End BP: 4245
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 2130BC. Early Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as radius, Pit C, same skeleton as SRR-755 and Q-1480 at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4432, C14 ID: Pta-1606 Date BP: 4130 +/- 60, Start Date BP: 4070, End BP: 4190
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 2110BC. Early Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as femur, Stratum 3, area III, layer 62 at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4433, C14 ID: Q-1451 Date BP: 4110 +/- 100, Start Date BP: 4010, End BP: 4210
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 1905BC. Middle Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as tibia, Stratum 5, Pit C, area V, same burial as SRR-755 at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4434, C14 ID: Q-1480 Date BP: 3905 +/- 70, Start Date BP: 3835, End BP: 3975
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 1870BC. Middle Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as femur, Stratum 5, Pit C, area V, same burial as Q-1480 at Quanterness [Map], Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4435, C14 ID: SRR-755 Date BP: 3870 +/- 55, Start Date BP: 3815, End BP: 3925
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The Prehistory of Orkney', 1985
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 570BC. Early Iron Age Carbon Dates
Report: Soil, id as organic-rich, from primary occupation at Quanterness [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 827, C14 ID: Q-1465 Date BP: 2570 +/- 85, Start Date BP: 2485, End BP: 2655
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The prehistory of Orkney', (Edin UP), rev ed 1990 (calibration and synthesis)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 440BC. Middle Iron Age Carbon Dates
Report: Soil, id as organic-rich, same as Q-1465, at Quanterness [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 828, C14 ID: Q-1464 Date BP: 2440 +/- 85, Start Date BP: 2355, End BP: 2525
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The prehistory of Orkney', (Edin UP), rev ed 1990 (calibration and synthesis)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 130BC. Middle Iron Age Carbon Dates
Report: Soil, id as organic-rich, postdating secondary features at Quanterness [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 829, C14 ID: Q-1463 Date BP: 2130 +/- 60, Start Date BP: 2070, End BP: 2190
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: C Renfrew
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; Renfrew C, 'The prehistory of Orkney', (Edin UP), rev ed 1990 (calibration and synthesis)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 20. Late Iron Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as Vulpes vulpes, fox, from Neolithic tomb at Quanterness [Map], Orkney Mainland, off Scotland. Subm J Clutton-Brock & M J Armour-Chelu. Comment (subm): as suspected, this animal was intrusive into a tomb chamber. This date is valuable as resolving previous uncertainty as to range of carnivores present in Neolithic Orkney.
ID: 6690, C14 ID: OxA-1117 Date BP: 1980 +/- 80, Start Date BP: 1900, End BP: 2060
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 417, OS North: 129
Archaeologist Name: A C Renfrew
Reference Name: Archaeometry, 29, 1987, 300; Clutton-Brock, J in 'Investigations in Orkney' (ed A C Renfrew), 1979, 112-34
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Creswell Crags
Derbyshire
England. Subm R M Jacobi. Comment (subm): is the only fossil of lion to overlap stratigraphically with Late Glacial artefacts and faunal specimens; specimen submitted to test whether fossil was of Late Glacial date... but is shown to be much older
and with OxA-1206 confirms stratigraphic overlap of fossils of very different ages in this part of the cave. All other fossils of lion at Pin Hole are from deep in the faunal spread and their overlap with Middle Palaeolithic artefacts would seem to imply ages greater than OxA-1806; see also OxA-1813.""
Carbon Date. 1080. Late Medieval
Report: tooth:horse, u.l. premolar
ID: 6055, C14 ID: OxA-4739 Date BP: 920 +/- 80, Start Date BP: 840, End BP: 1000
Abstract: Quaterness [Map], Orkney, Scotland
Archaeologist Name: Clutton-Brock
Reference Name: Archaeometry 37(2), 1995, 417-430
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
History of the Orkney Islands Chapter II. To one or other of there, it is probable, must belong that which has been lately discovered at Qanterness [Map]. As works of that nature have never been clearly understood, though they have excited much curiosity in men who take pleasure in studying the progress of the human mind, by looking back to early ages, the utmost attention has been given to examine that Picts-house with care, to measure its dimensions accurately, and to delineate the form of all its parts with precision. Situated on a gentle declivity, under the brow of the hill of Wideford, it looks toward the North Isles, has a full view of the bay of Frith, and the pleasant little island of Dansey, from which it is not far distant, and lies little more than a mile west from the road or harbour of Kirkwall. Like the rest it bears externally the form of a truncated cone, the height of which is about fourteen feet, and the circumference at the base three hundred and eighty-four; but whether, like them also, it be surrounded by one or two circular walls, the quantity of rubbish prevented us from discovering, though, that it is so, is very probable. In one respect it differs from moll of them, as it stands alone, and at a distance from the shore; whereas, in general, they are situated on the shores of the sea, and several of them at no great distance from, and in full view of one another, as if they were some way or other connected, or had been intended for mutual communication.
Internally it consists of several cells or apartments, the principal one of which is in the centre, twenty-one feet fix inches long, six feet six inches broad, and eleven feet fix inches high, built without any cement, with large flat stones, the one immediately above projecting over that below, so as gradually to contract the space within as the building rifest till the opposite walls meet at the top, where they are bound together by large stones laid across, to serve as it were for key-stones. Six other apartments of an exactly similar form, constructed with the fame fort of materials, and united in the same manner, but of little more than half the dimensions, communicate with this in the centre, each by a passage about two feet square, on a level with the floor; and the whole may be considered as connected together by a passage of nearly the same extent from without, which leads into this chief apartment. So far as can now be discovered, there does not appear ever to have been, in any part of the building, either chink or hole for the admission of air or light; and this circumstance alone is sufficient to show that it had not been destined for the abode of men. The contents were accordingly such as might have been naturally expected in such a gloomy mansion. None of those things, which have been discovered in places, were found here; but the earth at the bottom of the cells, as deep as it could be dug, was of a dark colour, of a greasy feel, and of a fetid odour, plentifully intermingled with bones, some of which were al- most intirely consumed, and others had, in defiance of time, remained so entire,' as to how that they were the bones of men, of birds, and of some domestic animals. But though many of them had nearly mouldered into dust, they exhibited no marks of having been burnt ; nor were names of any kind to be seen within any part of the building. In one of the apartments, an entire human skeleton, in a prone attitude, was found; but in the others, the bones were not only separated from one another, but divided into very small fragments.
Europe, British Isles, Scotland, Orkney Islands, Orkney Northern Islands, Sanday, Quoyness Chambered Cairn [Map]
Quoyness Chambered Cairn [Map]:
(HY 6766 3779) Quoyness Brough (NR)
A Maes-Howe-type chambered cairn, measuring 67' by 56', the intact chamber being enclosed within a complex cairn and surrounded by a platform. It was excavated by Farrer and Petrie in 1867, in the belief that it was a broch, but was subsequently recognised as a chambered cairn and re-excavated by Childe in 1951-2 for the MoW in whose guardianship it has been placed.
The roughly rectangular chamber, with six cells, is enclosed within an ovoid cairn, supported by two retaining walls, the whole being covered with cairn material supported by a third wall, standing on a raised platform.
Sherds of Neolithic pottery found on the floor show affinity with the Rinyo (HY43SW 20) and Skara Brae (HY21NW 12) settlements
Carbon Date. 2265BC. Early Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as femur, Sample C from Quoyness, Sanday [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4441, C14 ID: SRR-753 Date BP: 4265 +/- 50, Start Date BP: 4215, End BP: 4315
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 677, OS North: 378
Archaeologist Name: Childe
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; C Renfrew (ed), 'The prehistory of Orkney' (1985)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Carbon Date. 2190BC. Early Bronze Age Carbon Dates
Report: Bone, id as tibia, Sample A from Quoyness, Sanday [Map], Orkney, Scotland.
ID: 4442, C14 ID: SRR-752 Date BP: 4190 +/- 50, Start Date BP: 4140, End BP: 4240
OS Letter: HY, OS East: 677, OS North: 378
Archaeologist Name: Childe
Reference Name: Antiquity, 50, 1976, 194-203; C Renfrew (ed), 'The prehistory of Orkney' (1985)
Council for British Archaeology (2012) Archaeological Site Index to Radiocarbon Dates from Great Britain and Ireland [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1017767
Europe, British Isles, Scotland, Orkney Islands, Orkney Northern Islands, Eday, Vinquoy Chambered Cairn [Map]
Vinquoy Chambered Cairn [Map]. A Maes-Howe-Type chambered cairn, now overgrown with heather, was excavated by Farrer and Hebden, in 1857 (G Petrie 1863) who are presumably responsible for the shallow depression in the top of the cairn to gain access to the chamber through the roof. The cairn, much disturbed at the edges, appears to have been about 58' in diameter. Built on a gentle slope the height on the north side appears to be 4' while on the south it is about 8'. It does not seem to have been much higher and probably only just covered the lintels,for it rises only 2' above the present wall-head of the chamber.
Archaeological Journal Volume 20 Section III. These buildings are numerous in Orkney, and are generally in some prominent place, as the brow of a hill—the sea-side—an islet by the margin of a lake—or other similar locality. Human skeletons have been found in one or two of them, but it has generally been supposed that they had been deposited there long after the building had become ruinous. I found in the Picts'-house on Wideford-hill [Map], which was in excellent preservation, great quantities of the bones of horse, ox, swine, and sheep. The bones of the larger animals lay lowest amongst the stones and earth with which the central chamber was more than half filled. I selected a jaw-bone from a quantity of bones which lay in a passage leading from the central chamber to one of the cells, and sent it to Mr. Stuart, the secretary of the Society of Antiquaries in Edinburgh, by whom it was submitted to the late Professor Quekett of London, who pronounced it to be a relic of the species bos longifrons. The discovery of the remains of an animal which is believed to have become extinct in Britain about the time of the Roman invasion, shows the importance of preserving all animal remains which may be found in the aboriginal structures, and is at the same time an evidence of the antiquity of the buildings in which such remains are discovered. The bones were deposited in the mouths of the passages leading to the cells, as if the animals had been intended to be offerings to the deities, or to the manes of the departed. The accompanying plan and section of a Picts'-house in the Island of Eday [Vinquoy Chambered Cairn [Map]], which was opened in 1857 by Robert J. Hebden, Esq., of Eday, and James Farrer, Esq., M.P., will convey a general idea of those interesting structures. The following are the measurements of the various chambers in this Picts'-house;—
A. The central chamber, 6 ft 9 in. by 5 ft.; height 10 ft.
B. 5 ft. 6 in. by 2 ft. 3 in.; height 5 ft.; the length of the passage of approach to this chamber from the central one is about 3 ft. 6 in., its width about 1 ft. 9 in.
C. 5 ft. by 4 ft.; height 6 ft.; the width of the passage of approach, 1 ft. 3 in.
D. 4 ft. 6 in. by 3 ft.
E. 5 ft. 6 in. by 3 ft.
F. Entrance passage, 12 ft. in length, 1 ft. 8 in. in width, 3 ft. in height. It was continued beyond the encircling WALL, G G
Europe, British Isles, Scotland, Orkney Islands, Orkney, Kirkwall, Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn [Map]
2000BC. Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn [Map] is a Neolithic chambered cairn on Mainland, Orkney in Scotland. The tomb dates to around 2000 BC, and is similar in design to the Maeshowe chambered cairn [Map] on Orkney.
Chapter IV Dwellings. In the month of October 1849, Mr. Petrie's attention was directed to a large tumulus or green knoll, which stands about half-way up the western declivity of Wideford-hill [Map], overlooking the beautiful bay of Firth on the mainland of Orkney, and within a short distance of the Pict's house of Quanterness, described in Barry's History of Orkney. Being on a steep and unfrequented part of the hill, it appears to have almost entirely escaped observation. An opening, however, had been attempted at some former period, but abandoned after an excavation of about a couple of feet in depth had been effected. Mr. Petrie employed men to make a section into the mound, and himself superintended and assisted in the operation, which proved one of considerable time and labour, from the large stones and the quantity of clay used in completing the external mound, as well as in the masonry of the structure found underneath. The building appears to have been con- structed in the following manner: — A place for the site having been scooped out of the side of the hill, the cells or apartments were built of large uneven stones, the walls being made gradually to converge as they rose in height, until they approached to within a foot at top. Externally the work was bounded by a wall of about two feet high. The entire structure was then brought to a conical shape with stones and clay ; the stones being disposed with considerable regularity, and over all a thick layer of turf or peat had been laid. The mound which encloses the whole is about one hundred and forty feet in greatest circumference, and forty-live feet in diameter. The work of exploration was commenced by making a cut, six feet in breadth, upon the north side, and clearing away the stones and clay in the direction of the highest part of the mound. On penetrating towards the centre, at about six feet from the top, a stone was exposed placed on edge, about eighteen inches long and nine inches thick, underneath which lay another, which was found to cover a hole of about a foot square, at the top of the chamber marked D in the plan. (Plate I.) On obtaining entrance to this chamber or cell, it proved, like those subsequently opened, to be constructed with walls gradually converging on all sides towards the top, and to measure five feet nine inches in length from north to south, four feet eight inches in breadth, and five feet six inches in height. On the west side of the chamber, the small passage, marked h, was observed appearing to communicate with another apartment, but it was so blocked up with stones and rubbish, that excavation had to be resumed from the exterior. After working for upwards of an hour, the large stone, marked m, was reached, and on removing it an entrance was effected into the central chamber A. This was about three-fourths filled with stones and rubbish, heaped up under the opening marked i, on digging into which bones and teeth of the horse, cow, sheep, boar, &c., were discovered mixed with the rubbish, and also some which were supposed to be those of deer, but not a vestige of human bones.
Archaeological Journal Volume 20 Section III. These buildings are numerous in Orkney, and are generally in some prominent place, as the brow of a hill—the sea-side—an islet by the margin of a lake—or other similar locality. Human skeletons have been found in one or two of them, but it has generally been supposed that they had been deposited there long after the building had become ruinous. I found in the Picts'-house on Wideford-hill [Map], which was in excellent preservation, great quantities of the bones of horse, ox, swine, and sheep. The bones of the larger animals lay lowest amongst the stones and earth with which the central chamber was more than half filled. I selected a jaw-bone from a quantity of bones which lay in a passage leading from the central chamber to one of the cells, and sent it to Mr. Stuart, the secretary of the Society of Antiquaries in Edinburgh, by whom it was submitted to the late Professor Quekett of London, who pronounced it to be a relic of the species bos longifrons. The discovery of the remains of an animal which is believed to have become extinct in Britain about the time of the Roman invasion, shows the importance of preserving all animal remains which may be found in the aboriginal structures, and is at the same time an evidence of the antiquity of the buildings in which such remains are discovered. The bones were deposited in the mouths of the passages leading to the cells, as if the animals had been intended to be offerings to the deities, or to the manes of the departed. The accompanying plan and section of a Picts'-house in the Island of Eday [Vinquoy Chambered Cairn [Map]], which was opened in 1857 by Robert J. Hebden, Esq., of Eday, and James Farrer, Esq., M.P., will convey a general idea of those interesting structures. The following are the measurements of the various chambers in this Picts'-house;—
A. The central chamber, 6 ft 9 in. by 5 ft.; height 10 ft.
B. 5 ft. 6 in. by 2 ft. 3 in.; height 5 ft.; the length of the passage of approach to this chamber from the central one is about 3 ft. 6 in., its width about 1 ft. 9 in.
C. 5 ft. by 4 ft.; height 6 ft.; the width of the passage of approach, 1 ft. 3 in.
D. 4 ft. 6 in. by 3 ft.
E. 5 ft. 6 in. by 3 ft.
F. Entrance passage, 12 ft. in length, 1 ft. 8 in. in width, 3 ft. in height. It was continued beyond the encircling WALL, G G