Dwarfie Stane
Dwarfie Stone · Hoy Rock-Cut Tomb
Late Neolithic·Orcadian Neolithic·🇬🇧 Hoy, Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom
Wikipedia contributors · CC (see file page)
About
About Dwarfie Stane
Unique rock-cut chambered tomb on Hoy, hollowed from a 8.6 m glacial erratic of Old Red Sandstone, the only example in Britain of a tomb carved from a single boulder. Dated c.3000 BCE, it contains two side cells entered via a central passage with a blocking stone. Folklore links it to dwarfs and the Orkney giant; 19th-century graffiti including Persian script attests early tourism. Isolated in a peat valley, it differs from built cairns.
Why it mattersUnique rock-cut chambered tomb on Hoy, hollowed from a 8.6 m glacial erratic of Old Red Sandstone, the only example in Britain of a tomb carved from a single boulder. Dated c.3000 BCE, it contains two side cells entered
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Quarrying technique without metal tools
Theories
- 01Erratic as ready-made chamber
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. 3000 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic
- Culture
- Orcadian Neolithic
- Purpose
- Rock-cut chambered tomb
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1317 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
Gallery