steam

Bronze Age steam room may have been used by select Orkney settlers for rites

The steam room included a tank for boiling water and a network of cells. The building will be filled in at the end of the season to preserve it for further excavations next year.
Mark Miller
Mark Miller
October
01
/ 2015
A sauna or steam room dating back about 4,000 years has been discovered on an island of Orkney off the northern coast of Scotland. Researchers say the sauna could have been used for cleaning or healing of the body, childbirth or in spiritual ceremonies. The structure includes a water tank for creation of steam and a network of cells in a complex of structures from between 1000 and 2000 BC that were exposed by erosion at the Links of Noltland. The links are an area of sand dunes on the north coast of the island of Westray that are eroded by the coastal elements and the activity of rabbits. The site has turned up fascinating hints into the ancient islanders’