5. Skara Brae – The “Neolithic Pompeii” of the Orkney Islands, built in a rubbish heap- and reburied in it.
In 1850, a storm off the Orkney Islands of Scotland blew away layers of sand to reveal a unique stone-built Neolithic village, constructed sometime between 3100-2480BC. By modern standards, the settlement, known as Skara Brae was tiny. It consisted of just six small houses, tightly packed together and separated from each other by narrow, covered passages that acted as streets. Inside, the amenities of the houses were surprisingly ‘modern.’ The stone walls were plastered with clay and equipped with stone-built dressers for kitchen utensils. Each house also had stone-built ‘box beds’ which were eerily similar to those found around the Scottish islands in later ages.
Although the occupants of Skara brae successfully lived off the land, by foraging, hunting and fishing, the harsh northern climate would have been a challenge. However, the whole design of Skara Brae is designed to insulate and protect its small community. Covered streets and windowless houses aside, the village was also encircled by an embankment which acted as a windbreak for the settlement. However, this windbreak was not purpose-built. Instead, it began life as the rubbish heap of a previous settlement. The builders of Skara Brae simply cut through it to build the houses and passageways- and left the rest in place for protection.
Skara Brae has often been referred to as the ‘Neolithic Pompeii” because of its sudden desertion and remarkable state of preservation. However, the settlement was not frozen in time because of a natural disaster. Instead, for some inexplicable reason, one day the inhabitants of the houses simply upped and left- and reburied their village in the midden heap from which they had created it. Everything was left in situ- including the bodies of some deceased members of the community. However, there are no signs of violence. It seems that something unknowable happened to the community that led them to suddenly abandon their cozy home and turn it into a grave.