Skara Brae

Buried for almost 3800 years on the coast of the Orkney Islands, Skara Brae, which means hilly dunes, is one of the oldest villages ever discovered. The Orkney Islands off of the northern coast of Scotland were hit by a ragging storm and the grass was striped off to reveal the village of Skara Brae. Skara Brae was said to have lasted from 3700 at 2500 B.C. and was a small, tight-knit community.

The Orkney landscape was quite barren. Not many trees at all so they made their houses out of stone and the island was small and mostly hills. The first settlers came at around 3700 B.C. It must have been hard not having much wood to burn or use.

The daily life in Skara Brae was probably very cramped and social since it was a tight-knit community. It also seems that no one was higher then the other and they were not judged on their possessions. Also due to the architecture, you could go though the whole village without stepping foot outside.

Death is also an important part of the lives of the people who lived here. The architecture of the tombs around the village matches the houses and is quite elaborate. They show that they believed that there was an afterlife and the dead were the portal to it.

And so for about 1200 years, the town of Skara Brae thrived. They built their village, buried their dead, and lived with one another, until the need for small tight-knit communities were no longer needed and died out around 2500 B.C.