Study offers insight into neolithic life

Insights into the rivalry of communities in Orkney more than 4,500 years ago have been revealed in a new study.

The research, led by Professor Alex Bayliss of Historic England, challenges the previously understood narrative for prehistoric life on the islands.

By examining more than 600 radiocarbon dates, scientists were able to gather precise estimates of the timing and duration of events in the period around 3,200-2,500BC.

The study, part of the wider Times of Their Lives project, suggests there was a period during which there were rivalries and tensions between households.

This was played out in how they buried their dead and in their communal gatherings and rituals.

Professor Bayliss said: “People in the neolithic age made choices about all sorts of things – where to live, how to bury their dead, how to farm, where and when to gather together – and those choices are just beginning to come into view through archaeology.”

Neolithic Orkney is well-preserved, with stone houses, stone circles and elaborate burial monuments.

It was during this period researchers believe the island experienced a period of competition between communities.

Professor Alasdair Whittle of Cardiff University, principal investigator of the Times of Their Lives project, said: “Visitors come from all over the world to admire the wonderfully preserved archaeological remains of Orkney, in what may seem a timeless setting.

“Our study underlines that the neolithic past was often rapidly changing and that what may appear to us to be enduring monuments were in fact part of a dynamic historical context.”

The Skara Brae settlement on Orkney.