Skara Brae Impact On Society
Skara Brae Skara Brae, built approximately between c. 2000 and 1500 BC, is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the on the west coast of Mainland, on the Bay of Skaii, which is the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. Many may have questions about this incredible work of art such as, “How was the community impacted before Skara Brae? Who inhabited it?” or “Why was it abandoned?” All of the following are very common questions. Skara Brae not only impacted the world in numerous ways, and the inhabitants would not be the same without, but it was also created by ingenious architects in ways so remarkable it has never been forgotten, even being designated as a World Heritage site in 1999. Skara Brae had a huge impact
…show more content…
and is today one of the most well known Neolithic sites and was one of the most remarkable discoveries in modern archaeology. In the winter of 1850, a storm hit the Bay of Skaii in the Orkney Isles to the northeast of mainland Scotland. After another storm in 1926, further excavations were undertaken by the Ancient Monuments branch of the British Ministry of Works. Skara Brae, one of the most perfectly preserves Stone Age villages in Europe, which was covered for hundreds of years by a sand dune, revealed for the first time the Neolithic village known as Skara Brae. (Britnnica, 2014,1) Skara Brae was built by the herdsmen and farmers of Scotland. They bore over thousands of tons of finegrained sandstone, trimmed it, and then moved it miles away to a grass cape with commanding countryside views their workmanship was impeccable. The walls built have done credit to the Roman centurions who, some thirty years following, would erect Hadrian’s Wall in another part of Britian. (Smith, 2014,1) The village consisted of a number of structures, approximately six were discovered, that were meant to hold from 50-100 people at one time. The huts were linked by interconnected hallways, or passageways, which had specific entrances into the complexes from the outside.
Access to the houses is gained through a small doorway, which would have been blocked by a slab of stone and possibly even barred as well during the night, which goes to show how important security was to the dwellers (BBC, 2014,1) The houses, made of sandstone slabs, also used earth sheltering, sunk into the ground which would help protect them from harsh winter climates. Because there was a lack of trees on the island, all the furniture had to be made of stone. (Britnnica, 2014,1) Each also fallowed a standard plan, all identical, with the stone- build furniture including cupboards, dressers, seats, and storage boxes; these all laid out in a formal manner. (BBC, 2014,1) A number of stones in the walls of the huts and alleys have roughly scratched reliefs and rectilinear patters. The standardized design of each house was an indicator that no one person was more important than another; it was seen as a very close community and with no architectural evidence that any one structure was grander implying that the all villagers would with no social status. Opposite the doors, large stone dressers are intact today, and objects played great importance. On either side of the living space were stone beds, which would have been filled with
braken and leather, and covered with animal skins. A very important component of these houses was fire. It not only provided warmth and illuminated the houses but it was also a way to prepare food and dispose of combustible rubbish. Due to this, the hearth, along with the fire within, must have been at the center of the domestic and social lives of the community. It is not clear what fuels the inhabitants used in the stone hearths, but the investigation of vegetation patterns and trends suggests that climatic conditions to the development of thick beds of peat did not develop in this part of Orkney until after Skara Brae was abandoned. Other clear possible fuel sources include driftwood and even possibly animal dung. Next, another question one may have about Skara Brae is who inhabited the settlement of Skara Brae. The villagers were farmers, who raised cattle and sheep and growing barley. Their diet would have often times contained many foods, which would be related to as luxuries in today’s society. The inhabitants mainly lived on the flesh and, presumably, the milk of their herds of cattle and sheep and on the limpets and other shellfish. (Britnnica, 2014,1) For equipment, villagers only relied on local materials- stone, beach pebbles, and animal bones. Very few other signs of settlement from the late Neolithic Age remain to us, most likely due to their timber construction. The inhabitants of Orkney, being dependant on stone for construction, have left us a valuable door into their lifestyle. The villagers also made crafts during their leisurely time. Outside the complex of houses, a workshop, known as hut eight, stands that was used to create these works of art. Also, volcanic pumice, washed up on Orkney's beaches from Iceland, was used to shape bone tools. In good years, they lived well with some leisure time; and they made works of art like bone necklaces and the mysterious stone balls carved from hard volcanic rock, as seen in figure 1. The villagers were obviously quite the skilled craftsmen. (BBC, 2014,1)
Grooved ware pottery was one type of pottery made by the villagers on Skara Brae. There was a boundless vats created form the poor Orkney clay. The potting was done on a huge scale in that some of them were nearly a metre high and just as broad. The beautiful pieces of art were covered in refined clay which then would have been burned causing them to shine. Finely-made beakers with a reddened surface, rougher cooking pots, flat bowls, dishes and urns would have also been made. (Appleby, 2006, 1)
and is today one of the most well known Neolithic sites and was one of the most remarkable discoveries in modern archaeology. In the winter of 1850, a storm hit the Bay of Skaii in the Orkney Isles to the northeast of mainland Scotland. After another storm in 1926, further excavations were undertaken by the Ancient Monuments branch of the British Ministry of Works. Skara Brae, one of the most perfectly preserves Stone Age villages in Europe, which was covered for hundreds of years by a sand dune, revealed for the first time the Neolithic village known as Skara Brae. (Britnnica, 2014,1) Skara Brae was built by the herdsmen and farmers of Scotland. They bore over thousands of tons of finegrained sandstone, trimmed it, and then moved it miles away to a grass cape with commanding countryside views their workmanship was impeccable. The walls built have done credit to the Roman centurions who, some thirty years following, would erect Hadrian’s Wall in another part of Britian. (Smith, 2014,1) The village consisted of a number of structures, approximately six were discovered, that were meant to hold from 50-100 people at one time. The huts were linked by interconnected hallways, or passageways, which had specific entrances into the complexes from the outside.
Access to the houses is gained through a small doorway, which would have been blocked by a slab of stone and possibly even barred as well during the night, which goes to show how important security was to the dwellers (BBC, 2014,1) The houses, made of sandstone slabs, also used earth sheltering, sunk into the ground which would help protect them from harsh winter climates. Because there was a lack of trees on the island, all the furniture had to be made of stone. (Britnnica, 2014,1) Each also fallowed a standard plan, all identical, with the stone- build furniture including cupboards, dressers, seats, and storage boxes; these all laid out in a formal manner. (BBC, 2014,1) A number of stones in the walls of the huts and alleys have roughly scratched reliefs and rectilinear patters. The standardized design of each house was an indicator that no one person was more important than another; it was seen as a very close community and with no architectural evidence that any one structure was grander implying that the all villagers would with no social status. Opposite the doors, large stone dressers are intact today, and objects played great importance. On either side of the living space were stone beds, which would have been filled with
braken and leather, and covered with animal skins. A very important component of these houses was fire. It not only provided warmth and illuminated the houses but it was also a way to prepare food and dispose of combustible rubbish. Due to this, the hearth, along with the fire within, must have been at the center of the domestic and social lives of the community. It is not clear what fuels the inhabitants used in the stone hearths, but the investigation of vegetation patterns and trends suggests that climatic conditions to the development of thick beds of peat did not develop in this part of Orkney until after Skara Brae was abandoned. Other clear possible fuel sources include driftwood and even possibly animal dung. Next, another question one may have about Skara Brae is who inhabited the settlement of Skara Brae. The villagers were farmers, who raised cattle and sheep and growing barley. Their diet would have often times contained many foods, which would be related to as luxuries in today’s society. The inhabitants mainly lived on the flesh and, presumably, the milk of their herds of cattle and sheep and on the limpets and other shellfish. (Britnnica, 2014,1) For equipment, villagers only relied on local materials- stone, beach pebbles, and animal bones. Very few other signs of settlement from the late Neolithic Age remain to us, most likely due to their timber construction. The inhabitants of Orkney, being dependant on stone for construction, have left us a valuable door into their lifestyle. The villagers also made crafts during their leisurely time. Outside the complex of houses, a workshop, known as hut eight, stands that was used to create these works of art. Also, volcanic pumice, washed up on Orkney's beaches from Iceland, was used to shape bone tools. In good years, they lived well with some leisure time; and they made works of art like bone necklaces and the mysterious stone balls carved from hard volcanic rock, as seen in figure 1. The villagers were obviously quite the skilled craftsmen. (BBC, 2014,1)
Grooved ware pottery was one type of pottery made by the villagers on Skara Brae. There was a boundless vats created form the poor Orkney clay. The potting was done on a huge scale in that some of them were nearly a metre high and just as broad. The beautiful pieces of art were covered in refined clay which then would have been burned causing them to shine. Finely-made beakers with a reddened surface, rougher cooking pots, flat bowls, dishes and urns would have also been made. (Appleby, 2006, 1)