Orkney Riddle Index

 


Orkney Riddle 

Index



This is the southern tip of South Ronaldsay,  close to the Tomb of the Eagles. 

The island offshore is called the Pentland Skerries. It is attached to a shoal of underwater shallow seabed, called the Sandy Riddle.

Hence, the Orkney Riddle. 

Here is the index to the blogs that make up the Orkney Riddle, research that touches the surface to suggest what really happened in the land of the Simmerdim.

 A Bizarre Idea 

Neolithic people walking to Orkney! That's the bizarre idea. 

The Orkney Vole 

It's a bit of a mystery how the vole delivered itself from Belgium to Orkney without passing through England and Scotland. 

 They Must Have Had Boats 

That's what I have been told. Sorry, I don't believe it.

Neolithic Migration to Orkney 

This is a very brief summary of what may have happened in Orkney between 3500BC, and 2500BC.

Pentland Firth 

Crossing the Pentland Firth is exciting on a modern boat. It would be treacherous in any small boat without a motor.

Walkable land in the North Sea 

This is about shallow seas in the Southern North Sea that would have been Walkable land in around 3000BC. ( I think!)

The Swifterbant Culture 

This is about the herdsmen and women of Northern Europe that expanded their territories in Southern Europe, arriving in Belgium in the 5th and 4th millennia BC.

Archaeology in the North Sea 

The present Dogger Bank is the remnant of a ridge of land that extended from Doggerland in the south to a point between Shetland and Norway. This ridge divided the North Sea into the two coastal waters, offshore England/Scotland, and offshore Norway. 

Mainland Settlements 

Lots of small settlements dotted around the islands,  not solid, like Skara Brae, but scrapes in the ground with ashes and seeds, and paved areas.

Barnhouse 

An early encampment with bivouacs and a toilet.

Barnhouse Sweat Lodge 

A sheltered timber structure with a pyramid roof.

 Modern Sweat Lodge Practice 

Interesting to see what the Neolithic Orcadians may have believed  as it is understood today.

Stones of Stenness 

An unfinished stone circle?

The Ring of Brodgar 

Another unfinished stone circle?

 Maeshowe Wonder of the Neolithic World 

A fascinating account of the excavation of the Maeshowe cairn.  Those were the days!

Cairns of Orkney 

More fascinating accounts of the excavation of cairns by early archaeologists.

Dem Bones,  Dem Bones 

The bones in the cairns tell the stories of the Neolithic Orcadians.

Skara Brae,  RCAHMS

The proper description of the Skara Brae Neolithic Village.

Skara Brae Neolithic Village 

Patersons description of Childe's excavation,  in all its' gorey detail 

Dating Skara Brae 

Carbon Dating of the occupation of Skara Brae.

 The Ness of Brodgar Excavation 

Director of Ness of Brodgar excavation, Nick Card's description of the Ness of Brodgar 

Bere Barley Neolithic Grain

About Bere Barley, thought to have been cultivated by neolithic Orcadians. 

Aurochs

Cows thought to have been farmed by neolithic Orcadians. 

Dating the Ness of Brodgar 

Carbon Dating from the Ness of Brodgar 

The Westrays 

What happened on Westray and Papa Westray 

In Conclusion 

Gathering together all the bits of evidence that supports the idea that Orkney was once linked to Scotland. 

 Finally 

If what I say is true,  what does it mean for the Neolithic Britain, a place that was a hub of neolithic culture, but that became isolated from Europe at a critical time in human development. 

Ice Sheet Britain 

An account of the glacial geology that formed much of the geography of the British Isles. 

Quaternary Addendum

I make some outrageous claims about the geography of the North Sea in the Quaternary period. Here,  the detailed remarks, data, and evidence are laid out.

Doggerland 

Extensive results from borings in the Southern North Sea,  between Norfolk and Dogger Bank 

Solving the Riddle 

Describes the process of unravelling the story of Quaternary and neolithic Britain.

About

It's me, no great name, talking about neolithic archaeology. 

Glacial Prehistory 

This is the story, in brief, about the glaciation of Britain. 

Jeffery Nicholls 

South Ronaldsay 

Orkney 

Email jiffynorm@yahoo.co.uk 

#Orkney #archaeology #Neolithic #prehistory #British #SkaraBrae #NessofBrodgar #BIIS ##Britice-Chrono #EarthSciences #LastGlacialMaximum #IceSheets #RelativeSeaLevel #Glaciers


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