Barnhouse Stone Age Village
Barnhouse Settlement · Stenness Barnhouse
Late Neolithic (c.3200–2500 BCE)·Grooved Ware / Orcadian Neolithic·🇬🇧 Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom
About
About Barnhouse Stone Age Village
Late Neolithic stone-built village on the shore of Loch of Harray, contemporary with Skara Brae but larger house plans and unique ceremonial building Structure 8. Fifteen houses with hearths, stone furniture and drains were excavated 1986–91 by Colin Richards. House 2 shares Grooved Ware and architectural traits with Skara Brae; Structure 8 (over 10 m diameter) with clay floor, hearth and entrance marked by the later-detached Barnhouse Stone monolith is interpreted as a meeting hall. Part of Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site landscape with Stones of Stenness, Ring of Brodgar and Maeshowe.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why Barnhouse was abandoned centuries before Skara Brae
- 02Function of Structure 8 — communal hall vs chiefly residence
Theories
- 01Settlement directly linked to construction of nearby Stones of Stenness henge
- 02Voluntary abandonment for Ness of Brodgar monumental focus
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3200–2800 BCE; Structure 8 c. 3000 BCE; abandoned c. 2600 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic (c.3200–2500 BCE)
- Culture
- Grooved Ware / Orcadian Neolithic
- Purpose
- Domestic settlement with communal/ceremonial hall; ritual landscape node
- Abandoned
- c. 2600 BCE
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3200–2800 BCE; Structure 8 c. 3000 BCE; abandoned c. 2600 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1342 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
58.9958° N · 3.2075° W · 6 m · 3 mapped features
Structure 8 (Great House)
hallLarge ceremonial/assembly building 10 m across with central hearth and axial entrance toward Barnhouse Stone
58.9958° N · 3.2075° WHouse 2
houseWell-preserved Neolithic house with stone furniture mirroring Skara Brae plan
58.9957° N · 3.2077° WBarnhouse Stone
standing stoneOriginal outlier standing stone 3 m high, formerly aligned on Structure 8 entrance, now 30 m south
58.9952° N · 3.2085° W
Gallery