Archaeologists Uncover "Incredibly Rare" 5,000-Year-Old Tomb with 14 Skeletons in Orkney, Scotland

Historic tomb, believed to be the "pinnacle of Neolithic engineering in Scotland," was mostly destroyed by Victorian antiquarians, but recent excavations uncover 14 skeletons and artifacts offering new insights into Neolithic life.

• The 5,000-year-old Neolithic site in Orkney was largely destroyed by Victorian antiquarians in the late 18th or early 19th century for building materials but has now been rediscovered by National Museums Scotland (NMS) and Cardiff University.
• During the three-week excavation, 14 articulated skeletons of men, women and children were found, along with individual pieces of human bone. Two of the skeletons were positioned as if they were embracing each other, with two children placed over their heads.
• Apart from human remains, the team also found other artifacts including pottery, stone tools, and a bone pin, findings that volunteers from University of Central Lancashire helped uncover.
• The tomb, a type recorded only 12 other times in Orkney, is considered a 'pinnacle' of Neolithic engineering skills in Scotland, featuring a 7m-long passage and traces of a stone cairn 15m in diameter.
• The archaeologists believe that these findings will allow them to obtain new insights into Neolithic life, particularly since it's incredibly rare to find these tomb deposits, even in well-preserved chambered tombs.

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