Midhowe Chambered Cairn

Midhowe is one of the largest surviving Neolithic tombs on Rousay. Its elongated cairn contains a chamber divided into twelve compartments by upright stone slabs, with increasingly elaborate arrangements towards the far end. Excavations in the 1930s recovered the remains of more than twenty people, together with pottery, flint and animal bones. Some bodies remained in crouched positions while other bones had been rearranged, suggesting repeated use and the handling of earlier remains when further burials were introduced. The precise sequence of these actions is interpreted from the deposits rather than described in contemporary records. At a later stage, the chamber was packed with stones to prevent further access. A modern protective building now shelters the exposed archaeology, so the roof surrounding the remains is part of their conservation history. Midhowe illustrates collective burial and the deliberate transformation of a tomb after use. Period: Neolithic Grid reference: HY 3722 3048 Protection: Source: Historic Environment Scotland, https://www.trove.scot/place/2274 (Open Government Licence). Contains Historic Environment Scotland data licensed under the Open Government Licence; source compiler retained per record. Banner photo: "Midhowe Chambered Cairn - geograph.org.uk - 6731271" by Sandy Gerrard, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.