The Dwarfie Stane on Orkney's Hoy island is a truly remarkable 5,000-year-old tomb carved directly into a massive sandstone glacial boulder. Spanning 8.5 meters, its tiny interior chambers and entrance were hollowed using stone and antler tools. What's fascinating is that this style is unique to northern Europe, instead resembling Mediterranean tombs from the Neolithic or Bronze Age. Despite being centuries old, no excavations have ever taken place here.
5,000-year-old Neolithic rock-cut tomb in Orkney unique to northern Europe
ScotlandArchitecture
Key facts
- The Dwarfie Stane is a Neolithic rock-cut tomb approximately 5,000 years old, located on the island of Hoy in Orkney, Scotland.
- It is carved from a huge glacial erratic boulder made of Devonian Old Red sandstone.
- The rock measures 8.5 m (28 ft) in length.
- The internal chambers include a 1 m square entrance, a passage 2.2 m long, two cells measuring 1.7 m by 1 m, with all internal chambers having a height of only 1 m.
- The rock was hollowed out using stone and antler tools, similar to those found at other Neolithic sites in Britain.
- The structure's construction style is unique to northern Europe and resembles Neolithic or Bronze Age tombs found around the Mediterranean.
- The structure was still sealed in the 16th century; a hole dubbed "pre-16th century" was broken into the roof and later filled with concrete in the 1950s.
- No archaeological excavations have ever been conducted at the site.
Sources
Dwarfie Staneorkney.com
Thought to be the only prehistoric rock-cut chambered tomb in the UK, the Dwarfie Stane in Hoy, Orkney, is a special place to visit.
Ward Hill and the Dwarfie Stane, Hoywalkhighlands.co.uk
Visit the remarkable rock-cut tomb of the Dwarfie Stane before making an extremely steep ascent of Ward Hill to reach the highest point on Orkney.
The Dwarfie Stane in Hoy, Orkneynorthlinkferries.co.uk
The Dwarfie Stane lies along the ridge of a deep valley on the island of Hoy in Orkney. This hollowed-out rock was used as a Neolithic tomb.
Dwarfie Staneen.wikipedia.org
The Dwarfie Stane is a megalithic chambered tomb carved. Hoy, an island in Orkney, Scotland. glacial erratic located in desolate peatland. stone Height 2.5 m ( ...
The Dwarfie Stane - 'one of the wonders of the Orkney ...nessofbrodgar.co.uk
Dwarfie Stane, or Dwarrie Stane [1], is a huge block of sandstone that has been hollowed-out to create two cramped chambers inside.
Dwarfie Stanehistoricenvironment.scot
The Dwarfie Stane is a single sandstone block hollowed out to form the only known wholly rock‑cut prehistoric tomb in the British Isles.
Plan your visit | Dwarfie Stanehistoricenvironment.scot
The Dwarfie Stane is free to visit and is open year-round. Accessibility Visitors will need to crouch or crawl to enter the tomb. Strong footwear is ...
Dwarfie Stanesobt.co.uk
This 5,000 year-old chambered tomb is hewn directly out of a single, huge boulder: a glacial erratic left behind by a retreating glacier at the end of the last ...
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