Knap of Howar
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The Knap of Howar on the island of Papa Westray in Orkney, Scotland, is a Neolithic farmstead which may be the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe. Radiocarbon dating shows that it was occ
The house in 2009
Looking back through the low entrance doorway into the main house, a visitor's backpack gives an idea of scale
The main house now looks out over the Atlantic Ocean
Skara Brae
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Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement located along the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney. The site was discovered following a storm exposing the presence of stone structu
Knap of Howar
…house in northern Europe. Radiocarbon dating shows that it was occupied from 3800 BC to 2800 BC, earlier than the similar houses in the settlement at Skara Brae on the Orkney Mainland. The farmstead consists of two adjacent rounded rectangular thick-walled stone buildings with very low doorways facing the sea…
Skara Brae from the entrance gate
Evidence of home furnishings
View over the settlement, showing covering to house No. 7 and proximity to modern shore line. The glass roof has now been replaced by a turf one, as the humidity and heat caused by the glass roof were hindering preservation.
Symbols found at Skara Brae and other Neolithic sites