Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace
Late Neolithic (3200-2500 BCE)·Orcadian Neolithic·🇬🇧 Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom
About
About Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace
Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace in Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom is a Late Neolithic (3200-2500 BCE) megalithic attributed to Orcadian Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal chamber 5 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 59.0921N -2.8006E controls access to Orkney, Scotland resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey megalithic for Orkney, Scotland, illustrating Orcadian Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
Theories
- 01Tribal capital and ritual aggregation
- 02Seasonal gathering locus
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. 2700 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic (3200-2500 BCE)
- Culture
- Orcadian Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 2700 BCE
Initial construction of Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace main structure
c. 811 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace
1965–2013
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
59.0921° N · 2.8006° W · 50 m · 4 mapped features
- Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace — Main Megalithic FeaturehydraulicPrimary hydraulic at Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace — platform mound with stratified deposits59.0934° N · 2.8022° W
- Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace — Secondary EnclosurenecropolisAncillary necropolis at Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace — platform mound with stratified deposits59.0902° N · 2.7992° W
- Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art PaneltempleOutlier temple panel linked to Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape59.0939° N · 2.7992° W
- Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace — Hydraulic/Cistern AnnexchamberHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Taversoe Tuick Two Storey Annex — Western Terrace with plastered basin59.0909° N · 2.8003° W