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| Barnhouse Settlement | |
|---|---|
| Name | Barnhouse Settlement |
| Type | Settlement |
| Epochs | Neolithic |
Barnhouse Settlement is a Neolithic site in northern Scotland associated with the Late Neolithic monumental landscape of Orkney, notable for its stone houses, alignment with regional mortuary monuments, and rich assemblage of artefacts. The site has been linked through stratigraphic, radiocarbon, and typological evidence to contemporary loci of activity such as Maeshowe, Skara Brae, and the Ring of Brodgar and has played a key role in debates about Neolithic social complexity, ritual practice, and domestic architecture.
The settlement occupies a coastal terrace near the Bay of Toft in Mainland, Orkney, situated within the UNESCO inscribed Neolithic Orkney World Heritage ensemble alongside Skara Brae, Maeshowe, Ring of Brodgar, Standing Stones of Stenness, and other monuments. Initial modern recognition derived from antiquarian surveys by figures associated with the Orkney Antiquarian Society and field visits by staff from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland before formal excavation by teams linked to the Orkney Heritage Society and university departments including researchers from University of Edinburgh, University of Bradford, and University of Sheffield. Discovery narratives reference earlier map annotations by cartographers working for the Ordnance Survey and antiquarian correspondence with curators at the National Museum of Scotland.
Radiocarbon determinations obtained by collaborative laboratories at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit and the Queen's University Belfast radiocarbon facility place initial occupation in the mid 4th millennium BCE, synchronous with construction phases at Barnhouse Standing Stones and the primary tomb sealing events at Maeshowe. Stratigraphic relationships indicate multiple building episodes and turf refurbishment contemporary with late phases at Skara Brae and ceramic horizons akin to typologies in collections at the Hunterian Museum, with later hearth rebuilds and abandonment comparable to sequences from excavations at Pool and Parkhouse. Bayesian modelling of dates undertaken with analysts from University of Glasgow suggests a principal occupation window overlapping cairn closure events recorded by researchers affiliated with Historic Environment Scotland.
The settlement comprises clustered stone-built dwellings arranged on an organic plan with shared paved yards, orthostatic walls, and blocked entrances reminiscent of plan-types excavated at Skara Brae and structural motifs documented at Noltland Castle contexts. Architectural elements include flagstone floors, central hearths, passageways, and furniture features comparable to assemblages curated by the British Museum and field drawings published by teams from University College London. Structural relationships show alignments with nearby ceremonial axes that echo the orientations recorded in surveys by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and geophysical prospection conducted by specialists from the Scottish Schools Equipment Research Centre.
Artifactual assemblages from the site encompass Grooved Ware ceramics comparable to typologies held in the Orkney Museum and lithic toolkits including flaked Silex and polished stone implements related to corpora at the British Geological Survey collections. Organic remains include antler, bone pins, and worked ivory paralleled in holdings at the National Museums Scotland and decorated stone balls analogous to examples studied by scholars at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Personal ornaments, spindle whorls, and gaming pieces bear resemblances to material from Skara Brae and archive items catalogued by the Royal Scottish Museum, and residue studies conducted with teams at University of York have informed functional interpretations.
Zooarchaeological analyses coordinated with laboratories at the Natural History Museum, London and the Scottish Agricultural College indicate a mixed subsistence strategy dominated by sheep and cattle husbandry with supplemental fishing and shellfish exploitation comparable to faunal assemblages from Skara Brae and marine resource datasets compiled by the Sea Mammal Research Unit. Botanical macrofossil and pollen data obtained in collaboration with the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology suggest cultivation of cereal taxa analogous to archaeobotanical sequences from Knap of Howar and storage practice parallels noted at sites investigated by teams from the University of Cambridge.
Interpretive frameworks advanced by archaeologists associated with the University of Aberdeen, the Society of Antiquaries of London, and the European Association of Archaeologists propose that the settlement functioned within a ritualized landscape integrating domestic, funerary, and ceremonial arenas similar to models applied at Ring of Brodgar and Standing Stones of Stenness. Spatial analysis comparing house orientation, artefact deposition, and curated objects has been discussed in conferences hosted by the British Archaeological Association and in monographs published by the Council for British Archaeology, linking social stratification hypotheses to comparable evidence from Passage Tomb complexes and mortuary treatment patterns documented at Maeshowe.
Excavations were carried out in successive seasons by multidisciplinary teams from institutions including University of Durham, University of Liverpool, and the National Trust for Scotland, employing stratigraphic excavation, geophysical survey, and micromorphology studies in collaboration with the British Geological Survey and conservation scientists at the National Museums Scotland Conservation Department. Post-excavation curation and display partnerships involved the Orkney Museum, the Historic Environment Scotland Archive, and outreach programs coordinated with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, while ongoing conservation adheres to guidelines promulgated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and training facilitated by the Institute for Archaeologists.
Category:Prehistoric sites in Scotland Category:Neolithic sites in Orkney