New England Antiquities Research Association

 

Orkney Discovery May Be The First Farm In Britain

Reprinted from The UK Herald

by Stephen Stewart

 

 

 

June 20, 2003

 

Wooden structures unearthed on an archaeological dig in Orkney could be the oldest farm settlements in Britain.

 

The find, off the main road from Kirkwall to Stromness, may also shed light on one of the most disputed subjects in archaeology.

 

For decades, archaeologists have argued about the exact timescale and nature of the so-called farming revolution - when early societies made the transition from hunting and gathering to farming - thousands of years ago.

 

The discovery of the Orkney structures could greatly contribute to knowledge of the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, period, adding to the evidence for a settled lifestyle in villages and farmsteads on the island dating back at least 6000 years.

 

Dr Colin Richards, of Manchester University, led the excavation which shatters previous thinking about society during the New Stone Age, and could produce some of the earliest dates for settlement on the islands.

 

He said: "The houses in Orkney are all made of stone and we just never expected that we would find wooden buildings.

 

"It was amazing, especially when you consider that there wasn't much in the way of wood at that time on Orkney as it was treeless.

 

"They must have used drift wood from the shore. The evidence shows that the people of the time were herding animals, and we have lots of barley which was probably grown around the houses in small garden patches.

 

"Most of the farms would have had sheep and cattle and there were red deer knocking around. Interestingly, these red deer would have to be brought over from the mainland.

 

"It shows the continued importance of the sea, fishing and maritime culture in these areas, which continues to this day."

 

A number of large post-holes at the site, at the foot of Wideford Hill, show the position of a number of circular structures, each with a central hearth dating back to about 3900 BC.

 

The houses were previously thought to have originated from the earlier Mesolithic period but they were dated to the Neolithic, after pottery of the period was discovered at the foot of one of the post-holes.

 

Dr Richards said that the finds further illuminated the picture of daily life in ancient society.

 

He said: "It would have been a bit warmer and a bit wetter during this period on Orkney but it would have looked pretty similar to the way it does now. It appears that life would have revolved around transport by sea."

 

 

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