Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn | Orkney Islands | Neolithic | History of Scotland | Before Caledonia
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
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A journey through Scotland's ancient sites.
CUWEEN HILL CHAMBERED CAIRN | FINSTOWN | ORKNEY | SCOTLAND
HALF A MILE FROM FINSTOWN ON THE B9056 ROAD IS CUWEEN HILL TOMB. HERE YOU CAN VISIT AN ENIGMATIC WONDER OF NEOLITHIC ARCHITECTURE. OUR ANCIENT ANCESTORS EXPERTLY BUILT A CORBELED MAIN CHAMBER WITH FOUR SUBSIDIARY CELLS. HUMANS AND DOGS WERE LAID TO REST HERE BY A LONG FORGOTTEN CEREMONY.
TWO LABOURERS DUG INTO THE TOP OF THE MOUND IN 1888. WHEN THE SITE WAS FIRST OPENED IT WAS FOUND TO BE CAREFULLY BLOCKED UP. THIS PROMPTED JAMES WALLS CURSITER, AN ANTIQUARIAN, TO START THE FIRST ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION. IN 1901 MALCOLM MACKENZIE CHARLESTON, A LAWER, RETURNED TO UNDERTAKE A MORE THOROUGH EXCAVATION.
THIS PHOTO IS FROM A 3D DIGITAL MODEL OF THE INTERIOR, THE PICTURE WAS CREATED BY USING NEARLY 1500 STILL IMAGES. THE HIGH QUALITY STONE WORK OF THE CORBELED INTERIOR HAS SURVIVED TO A CONSIDERABLE HEIGHT. ON THE WEST WALL IS A DOUBLE SIDE CELL.
OUR ORCADIAN ANCESTORS CUT INTO THE SIDE OF THE HILL TO BUILD THIS STRUCTURE FROM 3000BC-3200BC. THE ORIGINAL FUNCTION OF THE SITE IS THOUGHT TO BE A HOUSE FOR THE DECEASED. RADIOCARBON DATING REVEALS NO REMAINS WERE PLACE HERE UNTIL BETWEEN 2500BC-2000BC.
500 YEARS ELAPSED FROM CUWEEN BEING BUILT, THEN HUMAN AND ANIMAL BONES STARTED APPEARING, OVER A FURTHER 500 YEAR WINDOW. IS IT POSSIBLE THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF THE SITE WAS LOST THEN LATER PEOPLE REUSED CUWEEN FOR THEIR NEW CEREMONIES AND BURIAL?
THE ENTRANCE PASSAGE SEEMS TO BE ALIGNED EAST, THIS SUGGESTS AN EQUINOX SUNRISE FUNCTION. THE HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORMATION BOARD MENTIONS ‘IN THE AUTUMN FOR A FEW DAYS, LIGHT FROM THE RISING SUN SHINES DOWN ITS ENTRANCE PASSAGE’. THIS MAY BE THE AUTUMN EQUINOX. ON THESE TWO EQUINOX DATES, THE SUN RISES DIRECTLY EAST.
ONE OR TWO OF EIGHT PEOPLE WHO WERE LAID TO REST HERE WERE KILLED BY A BLOW TO THE SKULL, POSSIBLY FROM A STONE MACE. ANOTHER SKULL HAD A HOLE SKILFULLY DRILLED OR SCRAPED WHEN THE PERSON WAS ALIVE, POSSIBLY TO TREAT INJURY OR INFECTION. FIVE SKULLS WERE FOUND ON THE FLOOR OF THE MAIN CHAMBER, ONE WAS AT THE ENTRANCE, TWO WERE IN THE SIDE CELLS.
THIS IMAGE IS FROM A DOG SKULL RECOVERED AT CUWEEN. A FORENSIC ARTIST SCULPTED THIS FROM A 3D PRINT. TWENTY FOUR CANINE SKULLS WERE FOUND INSIDE THE CHAMBER FLOOR ALONG WITH OX AND BIRD BONES. IN NEW STONE AGE ORKNEY, DOGS WERE COMMON AND WELL ADAPTED TO LIVE ALONGSIDE HUMANS. FARMERS KEPT THEM AS PETS, GUARDS AND FOR TENDING SHEEP.
THE DOGS WERE THE SIZE OF LARGE COLLIES AND HAD A SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE TO A LOCAL FAMILY OR TRIBE. PERHAPS THE DOGS WERE A SPECIAL TOTEM ANIMAL AND WERE LOVED THE SAME AS PETS ARE TODAY. ANOTHER SITE IN ORKNEY WITH A POSSIBLE TOTEM ANIMAL IS ‘TOMB OF THE EAGLES’ WHERE SEA EAGLES WERE RECOVERED.
REMAINS OF NEOLITHIC STONE DWELLINGS WERE EXCAVATED IN THE FIELD BELOW AT STONEHALL. THESE HOUSES MAY HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED BY THE BUILDERS OF CUWEEN. COULD ANY OF THE HUMAN OR ANIMAL REMAINS FOUND INSIDE THE STRUCTURE HAVE LIVED IN THE DWELLINGS BELOW?
LOCAL ORCADIANS ONCE CALLED CUWEEN CAIRN, FAIRY KNOWE. THEY TOLD STORIES OF MAGICAL DANGEROUS CREATURES THEY FEARED LIVED INSIDE CALLED ‘TROWS’. THE TROWS WERE MISCHIEVOUS CREATURES THAT EMERGE FROM THE MOUND IN DARKNESS TO CAUSE HAVOC AND KIDNAP CHILDREN.
NEARBY ARE OTHER PREHISTORIC SITES LIKE RENNIBISTER EARTH HOUSE AND WIDEFORD HILL CAIRN. THE ISLANDS OF DAMSAY AND HOLM OF GRIMBISTER CAN CLEARLY BE SEEN. CUWEEN IS IN THE CARE OF HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND AND A MUST VISIT SITE ON ORKNEY MAINLAND.
A 300M UPHILL WALK ON A ROUGH TRACK THEN NEGOTIATING A STILE WILL BRING YOU TO CUWEEN HILL CAIRN. THIS IS A MUCH QUIETER SITE THAN THE POPULAR MAESHOWE WHICH WAS BUILT BY THE SAME CULTURE AND VERY SIMILAR IN DESIGN.
A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR ANCIENT ANCESTORS.
My DNA was found there . Deep dive match . Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment.
I wish I'd seen this a year ago. I might've got up there but daresay it was locked up. Known locally as the Tomb of the Beagles ☺️
I have heard it is called 'Tomb of the Beagles', I have visited this site on my two trips to Orkney.
Excellent video. My DNA was found there
I am glad you enjoyed the video.
If you visit Cuween Tomb, be sure to go to Wideford Cairn next (or before) but be prepared for a fairly long walk from the parking spot to the actual tomb.
Hi Rachel, I have visited the other tombs, I have been to Orkney twice for summer solstice, I hope to return one day. Thanks, Martin.
always quality,many thanks
Thank you for your kind words, I am glad you enjoyed the video.
Interesting , Thanks.
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment.
Would this be considered a barrow? Thanks in advance.
Hi, I don't think Cuween is considered a barrow, this is a chambered tomb or chambered cairn. Thanks for leaving a comment.