A City of Stone Between the Lochs
On a narrow isthmus between the Loch of Harray and the Loch of Stenness, a Neolithic complex of monumental buildings is rewriting the history of prehistoric Britain. The Ness of Brodgar, discovered by chance in 2003, is a 2.5-hectare site with structures dating back to at least 3300 BCE, pre-dating Stonehenge's main phase. The entire complex was enclosed by a massive boundary wall, parts of which were 4 meters wide—thicker than Hadrian's Wall.
Archaeologists have uncovered more than a dozen large, non-funerary buildings, none of which are simple domestic houses. The largest, known as Structure Ten, measures 25 meters long by 19 meters wide, with immense 4-meter-thick walls that once supported a stone-tiled roof. The builders used carefully selected and dressed flagstone, a sedimentary rock that splits easily into flat slabs. Some buildings feature early examples of stone roofing tiles, and the site even contains Neolithic drains that still function. Many stones were decorated with geometric carvings, and over 900 such examples have been recorded. Exceptionally, traces of yellow, red, and black pigments show the walls of these structures were once painted.
The Cathedral of Feasting
The evidence points to the Ness of Brodgar as a place for huge ceremonial gatherings that continued for a thousand years. Analysis of the enormous quantities of animal bones shows the activities. Over 175,000 bone fragments have been recovered, and 85% of them belong to cattle. This contrasts with other Neolithic sites in Orkney where sheep bones are more common. The cattle were large, standing up to 1.5 meters at the shoulder.
The final act at the Ness of Brodgar, around 2400 BCE, was a massive event. The remains of approximately 400 cattle were deposited around Structure Ten. The vast majority of these bones are tibias, or shin bones, which were cracked open to extract the marrow. This suggests a single, enormous feast that concluded with the deliberate destruction of Structure Ten. After the feast, whole deer carcasses were placed on top of the cattle bones, and the building was partially dismantled. This act marked the decommissioning of the site, which was then abandoned and eventually covered by centuries of earth. Over 90,000 sherds of Grooved Ware pottery have also been found, further indicating large-scale food consumption.