Skara Brae, Europe's Most Complete Neolithic Village. The History & Excavation. Orkney, Scotland.

#SkaraBrae #NeolithicVillage #StoneAgeVillage #OrkneyNeolithicVillage #HeartOfNeolithicOrkney
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Skara Brae was inhabited before the Egyptian Pyramids were built and had flourished for centuries before construction began at Stonehenge.
The structures of this village survive in impressive conditions, even the furniture of the houses has been preserved remarkably well.
There’s no other place in Northern Europe where we are able to see such rich evidence of how our prehistoric ancestors actually lived.
Skara Brae is located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, the largest of the Orkney Islands in Scotland.
Orkney is an archipelago in the northern isles of Scotland and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited.
Skara Brae is one of Four sites making up “The heart of Neolithic Orkney” and are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The other 3 are:
Maes Howe
Standing Stones of Stenness
And the Ring of Brodgar.
Skara Brae was inhabited for approximately 600 years, between 3180 BCE and 2500 BCE.
In Orkney there was a shortage of wood, so the people of Skara Brae had to work with the only building material available to them, which was stone.
There are many theories as to why the people of Skara Brae left, most popular interpretations involve a major storm or disaster.
This is due to the fact that it has been so well preserved that it often gets compared to Pompeii.
Pompeii had been abandoned and completely covered by ash following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Skara Brae had been covered by sand for over 4000 years, thus protecting and preserving the buildings and their contents incredibly well.
In the winter of 1850 a severe storm hit Scotland, causing widespread damage and the loss of over 200 lives.
In the bay of Skaill the storm with an exceptionally high tide stripped the grass from a large mound then known as Skerrabra.
When the storm cleared some local villagers found the outline of a village consisting of a number of small houses without roofs.
The local Laird, William Watt of Skaill began an amateur excavation at the site, but after 4 houses were uncovered the work was abandoned in 1868.
The site then remained undisturbed until 1913, when in a single weekend the site was plundered by people who took away an unknown quantity of artefacts.
Another storm swept away part of one of the houses in 1925 and it was determined that the site should be secured and properly investigated.
Professor and archaeologist Vere Gordon Childe was called upon to professionally excavate and preserve the site.
Radiocarbon results indicate that occupation of Skara Brae began around 3180 BCE.
After the climate changed, becoming much colder and wetter around 2500 BCE the settlement had been abandoned.
Unfortunately - after almost 50 years - the results of this latest excavation has never been published.
And after all this time, we still don’t know what the findings were besides the given radiocarbon dates.
The inhabitants of Skara Brae were makers and users of Grooved Ware Pottery.
Grooved Ware originates from Orkney around the 3rd millennium BCE.
The houses were constructed into mounds known as middens.
If you travel to Scotland and you are able to go to the Orkney islands, please make sure to visit Skara Brae and be mesmerized by the way the Ancient inhabitants lived.
Footage Megalithomania: • Skara Brae | Neolithic...
Sources:
www.orkneyjar.com/history/skar...
www.visitscotland.com/info/se...
www.ancient.eu/Skara_Brae/
www.orkneyology.com/skara-bra...
www.orkneystonetools.org.uk/g...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._Gord...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skara_Brae
Richards, Colin (1993) An archaeological study of Neolithic Orkney : architecture, order and social classification. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.
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[@lynedionne6215]

I visited in September 2023, it was just amazing to stand where people had lived 5000 years before. This video was great, I learned more about Skara Brae 😊

[@MediaAceStar]

My wife and I visited in September 2022. Just breathtaking to be walking around this historic sight. Thanks for the video…it adds to what our tour guide explained to us. We also went to the Ring of Brodgar. We traveled via Windstar Cruises.

[@johnjiv5790]

The way you pronounce Skara Brae is divine ! You are now officially my favourite 'Skara Brae' pronouncer !! 😄😄😄

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Oh thank you so much 🥰🙈

[@johnjiv5790]

@@HistoryWithKayleigh OFFICIAL !! 😎🥳 😆😁😂

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Hahaha 😂

[@dracoxl5393]

Right, a lovely Dutch English accent - I heard it in a second.

[@Fyodor48]

*One is incredulous that such a quality and informative upload has had but 19k views!* My sincere thanks to Kayleigh for such a detailed informative clear and concise presentation. To anyone pondering a trip to The Orkneys, I can’t recommend it too highly, whether time prohibits a longer stay, perhaps you are on a Scottish driving holiday in which case my advice would be, head to Scrabster where you can join an organised day trip by coach. Price at the time I first went wasn’t at all expensive, ticket includes ferry (oh! You park your car in Scrabster for the day) the trip by ferry passed quickly, and when disembarking the coach is right there waiting to give you a whistle stop tour, from Scara Brae to the Standing stones etc etc etc. It was this daytrip too Orkney that left me entranced by the place and its people. And was responsible for my many trips thereafter . I best stop typing now, But please do yourself the biggest ever favour, organise a driving tour of Scotland that allows you at least, a day trip to witness that which Kayleigh so exquisitely expounded upon.

[@jimcameron2209]

As a proud Scot I found this video fascinating and incitful. Your pronunciation of Skarra Brae is spot on and I still use words like midden which leaves my English wife very confused.

[@Fyodor48]

Aye indeed! Words like the ‘midden’ and midges’ for many ‘midgie’ is slang for midden. But for most, particularly West Coast dwellers, ‘midgies’ shall forever be, those infernal teeny tiny biting things!!! As I found out to my cost just yesterday walking in Ardgarten near Arrochar. grrr 🙂

[@IPostSwords]

"An unknown number of artefacts were looted". Few sentences can cause as much pain as that one.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

I know, who knows what they had taken and what we could've learned from those artefacts 😭

[@rossallan3585]

Hate to say it, but my ancestors might’ve been in on that. My Orcadian family ran (and still run) the farm next door, and as children they’d play in Skara Brae. I very much doubt anyone currently living was in on the looting, but who knows.

[@RootlessNZ]

Greetings from Wellington New Zealand. Thank you for this wonderful tour of Skara Brae. I had friends in South Ronaldsay and visited in 1976, the year of the wonderful, unforgettable summer in Britain. I went to see Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Dwarfie Stane on Hoy. All of them are outstanding but Skara Brae remains most clearly in my memory and in my imagination.

[@4034miguel]

What a beautiful site and it is fascinating the fact that people wanted to live so far north. Thank you for another joyful video.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

They were probably already living in the area, to me it's not too strange. We've had people inhabiting the polar region for thousands of years 🙂 Humans are great at adapting to our surroundings

[@rachelhenderson2688]

Far North?? It's only in Scotland!!

[@4034miguel]

@@rachelhenderson2688 No problem in our time, but in that time? not even in the mainland Scotland, but on and Island north of it. around only 18° from the polar circle. Yes for the time I consider that far north. We have to put ourselves in the place, time and technology of these people.

[@lmkcrazy]

Indoor toilets! That is awesome. Water/waste management, what I consider to be signs of a knowledgeable culture.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Absolutely knowledgeable culture, Orkney is filled with ancient settlements and monuments 🥰

[@gerx18]

One of the best site's I've had the pleasure to visit,

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

You're very lucky to have been there 🥰

[@stevencharlton7693]

In addition to the information given in this video. About 12 months (2021) after this video was posted, evidence of a potential second village has been found on the North side of The Bay of Skaill. Deer antlers, a boar tooth, a cattle jawbone, a large decorated stone marked with a pair of incised triangles and a series of rectangular bands running across the surface, and a section of wall have so far been discovered... If you do come to Orkney, there is also The Ring of Bookan to see, which is situated a short distance up the road from The Stones of Stenness and The Ring of Brodgar...

[@nefersguy]

Loved the video Kayleigh but I'm sure I'm not alone saying the looting of sites grieves me deeply.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

it makes me incredibly sad, i hope it can be prevented in the future but unfortunately in the past 12 months there have been many sites that have been disturved and vandalised.. 😧 all i want is the erath and the ancient structures to be preserved for many more future generations to come..

[@johnsieverssr8288]

I love your shows... Good science... Thank you, Kaliegh... Hope your health is better.

[@GreatCityAttractions]

Another nice video Kayleigh.

[@beverly3397]

Wonderful presentation ! This also proves the ancient people where very wise and probably led a very good life.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

They were indeed!

[@SomedaySomeway7000]

Great information..many thganks.

[@gordonstewart8258]

Several thoughts occurred to me while watching your video. Skara Brae and its environs are more significant than Pompey, since Pompey is from a culture that is already well documented in history, whereas Skara Brae represents an otherwise unknown culture. People are always impressed that Knosos had indoor flush toilets, but the people of S.B. had them over two thousand years earlier. It sounds like the village was designed to be locked up as a whole as well as in parts , including individual houses. This sounds defensive. Is it possible that it was subject to raids from the sea. Just some thoughts from a non-expert.

[@cicad2007]

I heard of Skara Brae before, but didn't know much about it. Thanks Kayleigh! :-)

[@dbur1111]

Yet again a job well done. 👍👌✌️

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Thank you 🤗

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Get your Merch: historywithkayleighshop.com/ Become a Channel member: kzbin.info/door/MwDeEoupy8QQpKKc8pzU_Qjoin Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/HistoryWithKayleigh

[@michelguevara151]

interestingly, skara brae is mentioned in the book of enoch, this gives directions from the middle east. newgrange is also mentioned. the directions are given from skara brae.. maes howe is also mentioned by direction. Edit : the book of enoch is the holy book of ethiopia

[@garyworokevich2524]

Thank you Kayleigh for opening my eyes on this portion of Scottish History. I'm somewhat familiar of the Romans being near Scotland, Hadrians Wall and all that. But I did not know that a jewel such as these structures existed.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

I have more on ancient Scottish monuments 🤗

[@shipoffools2183]

Another wonderful moment spent with Kayleigh. What an amazing community, I wonder what trade they did?

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Thank you 🙂 good question but we will probably never know the answer 😉

[@ErnaldtheSaxon]

Thank you.

[@shellycassidy5473]

Thanks for sharing this ❤history I dont know

[@ShastaBubba]

Thanks for this video; fascinating site. Subscribed because I love learning about ancient monuments and peoples.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Thank you so much!

[@KevinTullock]

As an Orcadian I could (But won’t) point you to about 20 much bigger sites than Skara Brae.

[@tomevans4402]

Fascinating. These people were very smart. Wish we new for sure why they left! Thank you.🙏🌺

[@bigsmiler5101]

I would bet there are many similar villages below sea level. -- Kayleigh: Please do at least one video about the Basque. They are an enigma.

[@randomcomputer7248]

I love to watch videos about this place, its fascinating ! Its also a little sad, it must have been a very hard and bleak life really. I want to stand in it one day, I would be emotional. How much they didn't know about the world, just trying to exist in what comfort they could.

[@robokill387]

I don't know about that, if it was that bad, they would have moved, there wasn't really anything stopping them. I heard that the climate in Orkney was warmer 5000 years ago than now.

[@theywantusdead373]

❤️ from 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@selkirk57]

I had to laugh. When I saw the title of this video I remembered. Someone in my Ancient Stones of Britain and Ireland Facebook group was just asking for info on Skara Brae the other day. I will look her up and post a link to this video. I searched the group and finally found her post...a post by one Kayleigh During. Kayleigh, may I present Kayleigh.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Haha I can tell you that I was that Kayleigh haha! I was hoping to get my hands on some drone footage for this video haha! Great to see you in the Facebook group as well!🤗🤗

[@viaScoti]

Great work, keep them coming!

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Thank you!

[@frednorman1]

Excellent! I’ll be there next month(I’m from California)

[@raibeart1955]

My theory is that they were not dressers in the dwellings,but Bunk Beds for the kids made by Ikea Flintstone. 😊

[@foure2833]

This was shown in my History class today, nice video!

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Omg that's awesome!😍 I hope I didn't bore you to death hahaha🤣 Thank you for your compliment!🤗

[@mevenstien]

Yes this is a very interesting site . Enjoyed your video of it. As to a guess of the use of the" locked "room? Well, without more data, would say no need to lock a burial use so simply unless maybe used as a charnal area and reasons for" locking" would include keeping animals,children, captives, sickly contagious , Or maybe supplies safe from animals. But those are just guesses of course. Wonder if there are more house sites Underwater or across in what is it Norway built by these same people's? 🙂☮️❤️

[@Terry.W]

Amazing finds ...and the houses are surprisingly modern..

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

It's a magical place with a truly mesmerizing feel!

[@shardnz]

Thanks Kayleigh!

[@Faelani38]

Food for thought as I watched the Doggerland vid. Was the sight abandoned when the sea rose? Would the sea have claimed their farmland?

[@karamlevi]

“Hobbits” said with same love as the guy with happy hair who says “aliens” 🥳

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Haha 😂

[@MrFreezook]

Very interesting :) Hello From Egypt

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

I love Egypt! I've been there 2 times. You have an amazing country with a rich history! Definitely will speak about ancient Egypt as well in the future!

[@MrFreezook]

@@HistoryWithKayleigh I hope you like what I bring to my Channel , there's a section called Pyramid. It's about just that :) Some videos are in English some others in Arabic... Hope you like and enjoy :) Can't wait to go to the Meidum Pyramid... as soon as they finish the renovations of the place and finish the sound and light show over there I will definitely make a video about it.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

I'll be looking forward to it! We didn't go to the pyramids last year when we were in Egypt. 2 weeks before our arrival a bomb went off at the side of the road in Cairo near the pyramids and a few polish tourists got hurt. So we did a desert safari near Hurghada and spend a day with Bedouins in a camp. But next time we will travel to Luxor, Karnak temple and the pyramids as well. Just waiting on Corona to lay low and our home renovations to be done so we can travel to Egypt again!😍🥰

[@MrFreezook]

@@HistoryWithKayleigh :_(( So Sorry to hear that... All the best wishes.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Next time nothing will stop us 🤗 I miss my second home, Egypt is where I felt more at home than in my own country hahaha

[@SingerPhillips]

such a beautiful landscape. I just started learning about Scotland history due to my own family heritage of Phillips family that settled Spruce Pines, NC, USA.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

That's amazing! I bet your family history is rich, cause all Scottish lineages have stories to tell! Next up are the Stones of Stenness and the Neolithic Barnhouse settlement 🤗 & Thank you for subscribing!🌹

[@SingerPhillips]

@@HistoryWithKayleigh unfortunately, my grandpa (Fred Henderson Phillips DOB 1935) passed away and we only got a few times to meet before he passed. The only thing I learned is we were from Scotland and his dad was, "mean as a snake". But my mom told me when I was growing up that he saved his USMC platoon in Korean War.

[@donnar9864]

Hey from Charlotte..you and I would have been Scottish royalty...my family settled Waxhaw....

[@floydriebe4755]

Just watched this one a second time. Extraordinary! If you use a little imagination, you can almost see the people who lived here. I am very thankful that someone decided to protect and study this site. I hope that you get to travel here, someday. Would really be interested to watch that video! 👍

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

I hope so too, if i am able to visit it one day I will definitely film 🤗🥰

[@floydriebe4755]

@@HistoryWithKayleigh Great! I kinda figured you would. I read an article in a magazine about Skara Brae a while ago and was very intrigued. There weren't many pictures, though. Looked for more on the internet but, at that time, I couldn't find many. Your video made up for that in a big way. Almost like being there. Thank you 😊

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

I'm happy I found this footage and photo's. Made the video a lot better 🤗

[@floydriebe4755]

@@HistoryWithKayleigh it's not just the great visuals that make it a good video. Your presentation of the information was straightforward and clear. Like having a conversation with a knowledgeable friend. I hope that's not too presumptuous of me. I do feel that I have found a new friend. It's nice to meet someone from another country with similar interests. Kinda shows that we're all about the same world-wide. Getting maudlin here. Better go before I wax poetic. Later, Kayleigh.😊

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

You're very kind, I'm always happy to meet people with the same interests, before I started this channel i didn't meet many of them. I'm happy that I am found by people like you and we can build a strong community of people with the same interests, maybe be a positive influence to the preservation of stone age structures 🤗

[@ProbirRoyChowdhury]

Wow! It is very new to me.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Skara Brae is an incredible place 🙂

[@johnsieverssr8288]

I'm sorry, Kaleigh this is an old video that I haven't seen.

[@Andelf-Awaken]

Actually, according to the recent studies The Great Pyramid is at least 11.000 years old. We need to rewrite our ancient history.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

No its not, no actual study done by archaeologists published in a peer reviewed paper has dated the pyramids of Giza that far back, don't post bullshit here

[@mariam-gamergirl8175]

i am litterer watching this video for a school project i think my project is gonna be the best because of this thank u so much

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Aah thank you! I hope you get a good grade!! 🤗

[@mariam-gamergirl8175]

@@HistoryWithKayleigh i gave the project to my miss today and she said its amazing thanks to you i am new sub by the way

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

I am so happy to hear that! I hope you now have some new found interest in the stone age and it's amazing structures. I'm always in awe what the ancient people managed to build 🥰

[@mariam-gamergirl8175]

@@HistoryWithKayleigh i will always watch your videos and thanks for your hard and amazing work :D

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Thank you ❤️

[@BeforeCaledonia]

Kayleigh, have you considered creating KZbin research videos on the ancient sites in your own country? There might not be anyone else doing it.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

I have one video lined up about 2 Dutch Dolmens, we have 54 Dolmens in the Netherlands. I'll be sure to eventually cover all of them 🤗

[@BeforeCaledonia]

It would be great to see videos on Holland's megaliths. Good luck and best wishes from Scotland.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

@@BeforeCaledonia I'll let you know when it is up, you have a Twitter page? I am a member of a before Caledonia Facebook group, i believe you even shared this video on the group 🤗🤗

[@BeforeCaledonia]

Hi, I am not on Twitter, Before Caledonia is my Facebook group and KZbin channel.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

I'll let you know through Facebook when the video about the Dutch dolmens is uploaded 🤗

[@sethwilliams8537]

my family discovered that just found out

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

That's incredible! 😍

[@kens.5095]

Kayleigh, have you explored the impact of the Storegga slide off the coast of Norway on Orkney? Based on this video, I presume that the islands were occupied. You reference a climate-driven impact on the settlement at Skara Brae, but perhaps it was something more cataclysmic. Cheers! Edit: ah, I see now that others have preceded me in postulating about the presumed impact of Storegga: www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-45035429.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

The one that happened around 5700 years ago could have had effect on the landscape, but the dates don't correlate with the abandonment. It's about a thousand years off, but it could've been the reason why the started settling at the location of Skara Brae. 🤗

[@virgiljjacas1229]

🤔🤔🤔 The " mystery " remains ... Whom ???

[@stanyeaman4824]

So close to the sea. Is it safe?

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Back when it was inhabited it wasn't this close to the sea

[@skullscrusher0876]

epic home school moment

[@PadraigM46]

right after the ice age, that far north hmmmm

[@Faelani38]

mm nvm I looked into the times.

[@johnsieverssr8288]

Your hair has really grown.

[@fucheduck]

this is push'n 10,000 years. I would think us a not as human species in those days.

[@rachelhenderson2688]

People were just as human as we are; just not so technically advanced. There have been 'humans' for much longer than that!

[@theheaterguyryan5052]

It is sad that things where stolen, people are arseholes.

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

unfortunately sucky people will do sucky things..

[@sevenodonata]

They were built of stone as a defence against Scottish midges!

[@rachelhenderson2688]

It would take more than stones to keep Scottish midges out!!

[@michelguevara151]

according to Enoch, house 7 is a guest house

[@PCRobbo16]

are you a archioligest because you seem so clever:)**

[@merlinwizard1000]

111th, 20 March 2023

[@MrFreezook]

"SToners" Would be like... Archeologists hid all the lightsabers ;D LOL I guess you guys don't have those kind of looneys over there , or do you ?

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Sure we do 😂 they are everywhere 🤭😂 But your country has the most beautiful history, structures and artefacts I've ever seen🥰 Be proud of your heritage 🤗

[@Sgt.chickens]

I love to point to this when racial supremacists to tell me "your ancestos were still living in caves while we built this" Nah bro we were just chilling. Whats so cool about building civilization when you have a cute village on a cool island.

[@cybertooth8858]

i love roblox

[@TeethToothman]

🐒🦕🐒

[@grahamfleming8139]

We in Scotland are deliberately divorced from our history, none of our present cooncil hooses will surviv e 4000 years like this people were better hoosed in those days Orkney, like the rest of Scotlandii is still EUROPEAN. Enuff said. Braw wee clip hen,as usual. Clever lassie. .

[@dankopot]

Skara bre, Skrbo brdo, Serbian civilization. Vinca cultur.

[@jimmumford4444]

Looks like a Hobbit village.