The site was originally known in orkney as a mound called skerrabra this has been corrupted over the years to skara brae.
Roofs at skara brae.
Neolithic carvings beneath the glass viewing roof of one of its famous domed homes were threatened by an unstable environment.
Houses at skara brae were made of stacked stone slabs built into midden mounds made of waste material like animal bones and bits of rubbish.
Why would they do this.
P ossibly the oldest and longest used structure in skara brae goes by the name of house seven.
Because the houses were built into the midden from the outside the village would have appeared as a low round mound broken only by the surface of each house s roof.
What and where is skara brae.
Brae describes a hill.
With a total floor area of 36 square metres a skara brae house was actually quite spacious.
Skara brae ˈ s k ær ə ˈ b r eɪ is a stone built neolithic settlement located on the bay of skaill on the west coast of mainland the largest island in the orkney archipelago of scotland consisting of eight clustered houses it was occupied from roughly 3180 bc to about 2500 bc and is europe s most complete neolithic village.
Skara brae was believed to have been destroyed by a sand storm in 1850 a huge storm hit the island which blew away the sand and allowed a little bit of the village to be seen.
Skara brae is one of the best preserved neolithic settlements anywhere in western europe which makes it a super special find for archeologists.
What were the houses like inside.
After the site was abandoned it was buried beneath the sand which preserved the houses up to the full height of their walls.
The amazing artefacts discovered at this incredible site give us an insight into what life was like in britain during that time.
Before that in 1857 ce the village was believed to have been covered by a sand storm.
Skara brae house roofs.
The meaning of the skara skerra part of the name is unknown.
No trace of the roofs survives.
The midden served as a great.
Rhepanol hg was chosen to create a new watertight garden roof that blends in aesthetically and could be left undisturbed for up to 50 years.
This structure the best preserved on the site was found to be standing on natural sand while the other houses in the settlement were built on top of the remains of previous structures.
Wood has always been at a premium in orkney but driftwood from the carolinas or the ribs of beached whales would have provided a suitable framework to.
Skara brae case study.