I have divided Orkney into three posts as there was so much to see there, spread across two excursions. This first part has to do with Maeshowe, the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Ness of Brodgar. This was the morning excursion, which ended with a visit to the town of Stromness.
I am really fascinated by ancient civilizations and archaeology, so this was my second trip to Orkney. The islands there have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years (Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, etcetera). Orkney became part of the Pictish kingdom by the late Iron Age.
In 875, Orkney was colonized and annexed by the Kingdom of Norway. This was around the time that my Norse ancestors turned up in Orkney. The king at the time was Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagne). Rognvald Eysteinsson was the first Jarl (or Earl) of both Orkney and Shetland. He was a close relative and ally of Harald Fairhair. His nicknames were “Rognvald the Wise” and “Rognvald the Powerful”. He died in about 890.
After a few centuries, the then fully Norse Orkney (the Picts had been assimilated) was absorbed into Scotland in 1472 following the failure of the Norwegian king to pay a dowry to James III of Scotland for his daughter, Margaret of Denmark.
Orkney consists of Mainland, the North Isles and the South Isles. The people are referred to as Orcadians. The climate is mild; the soil fertile; the most important sector of the economy is agriculture.
The ship was docked at Kirkwall, the largest city in Orkney. It has an airport with regular flights to various parts of Scotland. St Magnus Cathedral was built in honor of the martyrdom of Magnus Erlendsson, who was killed in April of 1116 by his cousin Haakon Paulsson. The people in power all seem to have been related in some way.
The last time I had been in Orkney, it was raining quite heavily as we ventured into the area where Maeshowe, the Standing Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar were located. During that earlier visit, I could barely see Maeshowe, much less photograph it.
Maeshowe is a chambered cairn and passageway grave that was probably built around 2800 BC. This specific type of tomb, with a long, low entrance passageway (about three feet in height) leading to a square (or rectangular) chamber from which there is access to a number of side cells, was only built on Orkney. It is, however, somewhat similar to Newgrange in Ireland so there might have been a link between the two cultures.
The Norsemen left behind their graffiti when they first discovered and entered the tomb sometime in about the 12th century. Of course, their graffiti was in runes. It still said the usual “Harald was here” though.
Begun in about 3100 BC, the Standing Stones of Stenness are possibly the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Originally there were thought to have been 12 stones. There are four left. My attempts at photographing them the first time I was there ended up with some rain-streaked, blurry shots taken through the tour coach window. This time I actually got a couple of decent photos.
The Ring of Brodgar is the only major henge and stone circle in Britain that is almost a perfect circle. The interior of the circle, which was erected between 2500 and 2000 BC has never been excavated. It is the last of the great Neolithic monuments built on the Ness of Brodgar.
Surrounded by a ditch, the circle consists of 27 stones out of its original 60. Despite the torrential rain experienced during the first visit (in 2009) we were actually allowed to walk around amongst the stones. Since the rain was mainly horizontal, due to the high winds and lack of trees, I hid myself behind one of the stones and photographed what I could from there.
On this trip, we were greeted by a herd of cattle. We were not allowed to enter the circle. But we could walk around the perimeter of the entire site and photograph it from all angles. I got some shots of nearby burial mounds too.
Upon leaving the Ring of Brodgar and heading towards the village of Stromness, we passed the Ness of Brodgar excavation. This site (from 2004 to 2024) has uncovered about 40 structures. It was built roughly between 3500 and 2400 BC. They were just about to start covering it over again with the same dirt that was previously removed from the site.
The problem is that, while the stones used at Skara Brae are hard beach stones, the stones used here are quarried stones that are being eroded by being exposed to the elements. The only way to protect it all is to cover it up. They have loads of photos, data, and items they have unearthed that they can study for many years to come. Then, when the technology to possibly preserve the site and building remains is at hand, one of those future generations can dig it up again and still have something to see.
At Stromness (population roughly 2,500), I bought a couple of watercolors of the Stones of Stenness and a painted fridge magnet of the Ring of Brodgar. Since I didn’t have a lot of time in between this excursion and the afternoon tour to have lunch, I also picked up a sausage roll, some crisps, and an energizing chocolate bar to consume in my stateroom before heading out again to see more really, really old stuff.
Next time – A Neolithic Orcadian Village – Skara Brae
