Knowe of Yarso Chambered Cairn
Knowe of Yarso · Yarso Cairn
Early–Middle Neolithic·Orkney-Cromarty Neolithic·🇬🇧 Rousay, Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom
About
About Knowe of Yarso Chambered Cairn
Stalled chambered cairn on Rousay's southern slope, built c.3500–3000 BCE and excavated 1932–34 by Walter Grant. The trapezoidal mound 20 m long contains a tripartite stalled chamber divided by slab partitions; 29 individuals were found. Housed under a modern concrete roof with skylight, it forms part of Rousay's dense 'Egypt of the North' Neolithic landscape alongside Midhowe and Taversoe Tuick.
Why it mattersStalled chambered cairn on Rousay's southern slope, built c.3500–3000 BCE and excavated 1932–34 by Walter Grant. The trapezoidal mound 20 m long contains a tripartite stalled chamber divided by slab partitions; 29 indivi
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Demographic profile of 29 individuals
Theories
- 01Phased burial and ancestral rites
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. 3500–3000 BCE
- Period
- Early–Middle Neolithic
- Culture
- Orkney-Cromarty Neolithic
- Purpose
- Stalled chambered burial cairn
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3500–3000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1116 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
59.1342° N · 3.0415° W · 55 m · 2 mapped features
Stalled central chamber
chamberTripartite chamber divided by upright flagstone stalls, 8 m long
59.1342° N · 3.0415° WTrapezoidal mound
cairn mound20 m trapezoidal cairn oriented NW-SE on Eynhallow Sound slope
59.1341° N · 3.0416° W
Gallery