A Peedie Bit O' Orkney...

Today's monument is very unassuming from outside... a little hillock standing in the middle of a field by the main road from Kirkwall to Stromness, not far from the Standing Stones O' Stenness...

But this is Maeshowe, and that simple hillock is no mere hillock... it's a prehistoric burial cairn, dating from around 2700BC. And inside, it looks like this (photo looking back up entrance passage):

When you come up the 36ft long entrance passage (bent double), you find yourself in a domed space some 4.7 square metres in size, with 3 "L" shaped burial chambers in the walls - 1 straight ahead, and one each left and right.

When the tomb was excavated, it was discovered that it had been disturbed before - Viking Runic "graffiti" was found etched on the walls, including a picture of what is now known as "The Maeshowe Dragon" (below):

Perhaps the most interesting fact about Maeshowe occurs once a year, on the winter solstice... as the sun sets, it's dying rays bisect the nearby Stones O' Stenness, and shine directly down the passage of the tomb, illuminating the chamber inside.

It's amazing to think that prehistoric man achieved this, and we can only wonder at the rituals and ceremonies that would have occurred in those times.

See my bible Orkneyjar: Maeshowe for more information on the wonder that is Maeshowe, including what it looked like originally, before excavations took place and a concrete "roof" was put on to give it the domed appearance it has now - and also the part that acoustics play in the tomb.