All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

orkney

Archaeologists unearthed the remains of an exceptionally uncommon Neolithic tomb dating back 5,000 years.      Source: National Museums Scotland

5000-Year-Old Neolithic Tomb and Human Remains Unearthed In Orkney

Archaeologists in the north of Scotland have unearthed the remains of an “exceptionally rare” Neolithic tomb dating back 5,000 years. Having suffered extensive damage in the 19th century, the...
Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland. Source: Jule_Berlin / Adobe Stock.

Scotland's Most Mysterious Stone Age Settlements (Video)

Exploring the enigmatic past of Scotland's ancient settlements is a journey into the depths of history. Duncansby Head lighthouse, perched on the remote northeast tip of the British mainland, stands...

Deciphering The Meaning of Stone Age Rock Art (Video)

Prehistoric rock art presents a fascinating challenge for archaeologists seeking to decipher its meaning. Stone Age rock carvings in Scotland offer valuable insights into ancient cultures, including...
Skara Brae Neolithic settlement, Orkney. Source: Manel Vinuesa / Adobe Stock.

Orkney: The Island Whose History Is Eroding Into the Sea (Video)

In an era where knowledge is easily accessible, it's disheartening to realize that valuable fragments of our history slip away, forever lost in time. Nestled near the parish of Deerness in Orkney ,...
'Dwarfie Stane' (Dwarf's Stone) on the Island of Hoy, Orkney Islands, Scotland  Source: Grovel at English Wikipedia/CC BY 3.0

The Enigma of the Dwarfie Stane, Ancient Tomb of Orkney

There is something about Orkney that inspires great mystery in any visitor. It is an ancient place - situated just a “stone’s throw” north of Scotland - and it boasts a rich history that reaches far...
Sigurd the Mighty is said to have been killed by a severed head. Source: Nomad_Soul / Adobe Stock

Sigurd the Mighty Was Killed by a Severed Head

The Norse sagas are filled with astonishing death scenes. In his book Laughing Shall I Die, Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings , Tom Shippey explains that the defiant Viking attitude to death was...
Eroding sand dunes revealed an archaeological site at the Links of Noltland on Westray, evidence of a settlement on Bronze Age Orkney. Source: EASE Archaeology

Bronze Age Orkney Welcomed Female Migrants, Claims Controversial Paper

A new DNA study is shining light on Bronze Age Orkney. The results show how an influx of mostly women affected family traditions and spiritual customs on the island. However, some scientists are...
Tracing Scotland’s Neolithic Civilization Back To Armenian And Sardinian Roots

Tracing Scotland’s Neolithic Civilization Back To Armenian And Sardinian Roots

Around 5300 BC a revolution occurred on Orkney. A group of unnamed astronomers and seafarers dared to sail across one of the most hostile waterways in the world to establish the earliest stone...
An X Ray of the Mayback Viking sword shows a decorative pattern. Source: Historic Environment Scotland

“Rare, Exciting and Complex” Mayback Viking Sword Discovered On Orkney

Among several finds at a Viking burial site on Papa Westray, Orkney, is “a rare, exciting, and complex artifact” – a Mayback sword in the form of a Pedersen Type D, associated with the 9th century...
Petroglyphs of Scotland, found in Lurgan by George Currie. Source: George Currie

Comparing the Prehistoric Stone Symbols of Scotland and the Judaculla Rock

Within the rolling green hills of Scotland, slumber thousands of ancient stones bejeweled with mysterious glyphs. Across the proverbial pond, hidden in the great Appalachians of America’s North...
An image of the fingerprint captured using Reflectance Transformation Imaging.

Neolithic Fingerprints In Orkney Offer ‘Unparalleled Glimpse’ of Life

The Neolithic fingerprints of two young male potters have been identified on a 5,000-year-old fragment of clay discovered in Orkney. In April this year The Press and Journal announced that...
The Impact of COVID-19: Archaeological Digs Fall Silent

The Impact of COVID-19: Archaeological Digs Fall Silent

Several layers of plastic and geotextile membranes protect the remains of a Neolithic settlement called the Ness of Brodgar in Orkney, Scotland. Large tarps cover the area where the archaeological...
Orkney Quernstone Points To Settlement 500 Years Older Than Skara Brae

Orkney Quernstone Points To Settlement 500 Years Older Than Skara Brae

Archaeologists exploring on Orkney, the far-flung archipelago of the north east coast of Scotland, have discovered a settlement that they believe to be older than the world renowned Skara Brae...
Agricola among Roman generals and emperors in this frieze from the Great Hall of the National Galleries Scotland by William Brassey Hole (1897) (Public Domain)

Did The Roman Empire Reach The Brochs Of Orkney?

Greatly simplified, one of the primary reasons for the decline of the Roman empire was its rapid expansion, and ultimately its vast size became too expensive to manage effectively and it fell to...
Shellfish Extravaganza at Iron Age Feast Unearthed in Ancient Orkney

What Prompted the Shellfish Extravaganza at an Iron Age Feast Site, Orkney?

Archaeologists in the far north of Scotland have unearthed thousands of seashells from the remains of an Iron Age feast dating back to around the 5 th century AD, including 18,630 sea snail shells...
A closeup of the incisions on the Bay of Skaill stone recently found just next to Skara Brae

Carved Stones May Indicate Neolithic Settlement on Scottish Isle!

Archaeologists in Orkney believe they “might” have discovered another 5,000-year-old Neolithic settlement in the Bay of Skaill, beside the world famous Skara Brae. Thought to date to around 3,000 BC...
Skara Brae

Stepping Back in Time at Skara Brae: A Neolithic Settlement in the Heart of Prehistoric Orkney

In 1850, a fierce storm hit the Bay o’ Skaill on the main island of the Orkney island archipelago. In doing so, it ripped grass from a hill, then known as Skerrabra, to reveal the remnants of an...
An archaeology student has made an incredible discovery within the architecture of the 5000-year-old Maeshowe burial chamber on mainland Orkney. Source: Mo_Ali / Adobe Stock

Functioning Portal To The Otherworld Discovered at Maeshowe

Maeshowe is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on mainland Orkney , the world-renowned, ancient monument-peppered archipelago located off the north east coast of Scotland...
Top image: The Orkney River is part of the recently discovered Orkney Viking waterway. The researcher shown in this photo is carrying remote-sensing geophysical mapping equipment.           Source: Express and Star

Evidence of Waterway Engineered By Vikings Discovered In Scotland

Archaeologists in Scotland have discovered an extensive ancient Viking waterway cutting right through Orkney’s Mainland island. The Orkney Islands , known for their tall sandstone cliffs and world-...
5,300-Year-Old Textile Impressions Unearthed in Scotland

5,300-Year-Old Textile Impressions Unearthed in Scotland

The colorful threads, strings, yarns, twines, and ropes that wove together the Neolithic world have greatly rotted back to whence they came, leaving archaeologists and anthropologists only grey stone...
Four famous stone circles in the British Isles: Callanish Standing Stones (Fredy Jeanrenaud /Adobe Stock), Merry Maidens in Cornwall (Newlands Aerial /Adobe Stock), Castlerigg (Y. Jorzik-Brzelinski /Adobe Stock), and the Ring of Brodgar. (David Woods /Adobe Stock)

6 of the Most Magnificent Stone Circles of the British Isles

The enigmatic tradition of Europe’s Neolithic and Bronze Age stone circles, megaliths, and henges is by far the most mysterious glimpse into the lives of our ancestors. Today, stone circles dot...
Did Denisovan ancestry reach European megalith builders? Source: adrenalinapura / Adobe Stock

The Far-Reaching Realms of Denisovan Ancestry Stretch to Iceland

This week it was announced that a new genetic study published in the journal Nature shows that the genomes of over 27,000 Icelanders display an admixture of modern human and Neanderthal DNA, along...
Storms In Scotland Unearth Viking Skeletons

Storms In Scotland Unearth Viking Skeletons

Fierce storms ravaging Orkney, an island group in the far north of Scotland famous for its Neolithic standing stone circles and burial tombs, have unearthed hundreds of ancient human bones in what is...
Some of the nine supposed human figurines unearthed on Orkney. Source: Orkney.com

Nine Ancient Human Figurines Discovered On Orkney? Or Not?

Archaeologists excavating a proposed electricity sub-station in Orkney have uncovered what they believe are unusual ancient stone carvings . It was a team of excavators working in Orkney, the island...

Pages