Tomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn
Isbister Cairn
Neolithic (c.3150–2500 BCE)·Orcadian Neolithic·🇬🇧 Orkney, South Ronaldsay, United Kingdom
About
About Tomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn
South Ronaldsay chambered cairn excavated by J. Hedges (1976), yielding 16,000 human bones, 725 bird bones including white-tailed eagle talons, and Beaker pottery — headland cliff-edge site.
Why it mattersKey Orcadian Neolithic megalithic with stratified sequence and regional typology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Astronomical alignment
- 02Construction labor organization
Theories
- 01Observatory
- 02Territorial marker
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. 3150 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic (c.3150–2500 BCE)
- Culture
- Orcadian Neolithic
- Purpose
- Orkney-Cromarty stalled cairn — communal burial with famous eagle talons deposit
- Rediscovered
- Modern excavation 1989
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3150 BCE
Initial construction / first occupation at Tomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn
c. 1500 BCE major extension
Major expansion / refurbishment at Tomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn
2005 excavation
Modern rediscovery and scientific excavation of Tomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn
On the ground
Structures & features
58.7470° N · 2.9440° W · 45 m · 3 mapped features
Tomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn — Principal Standing Stone
standing stonestanding stone at Tomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn — outlier feature
58.7470° N · 2.9428° WTomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn — Northern Chamber
chamberchamber at Tomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn — hydraulic feature
58.7478° N · 2.9458° WTomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn — Southern Cairn
cairncairn at Tomb of the Eagles — Isbister Chambered Cairn — primary structure
58.7488° N · 2.9421° W