Skara Brae

Skara Brae is a Stone Age Village in Scotland built around 3000 BC.

It was discovered in 1850 after a heavy storm stripped away the earth that had previously
been covering what we can see today.
The Houses
We can still see the remains of eight houses. They were not
all built at the same time. People lived there over a period of
600 years.

The houses were all very similar and you could walk between
them along covered passageways. The first houses were round.
There was one main room with a hearth (for the fire) in the
middle, and beds at the sides. Each house had a set of stone
shelves, called a dresser. The later houses were bigger and more
like a rectangle with rounded corners. The doors were stone
slabs, and could be bolted shut. House 7 could only be opened
from the outside. Perhaps it was some kind of prison. House 8
was further apart than the other houses. This might have been
a workshop or meeting place.

Light and Warmth

There were no windows, but there may have been a hole in the roof to let out smoke. The fire
was used for light, for keeping warm, and for cooking. They used straw and heather to make
mattresses and used animal fur for blankets to keep them warm. The roofs might have been
made of straw or animal skins. They have rotted away so we can only see the stone walls today.

What else was found there?

• Animal bones including
cattle and sheep.

• Lots of fish and shellfish.

• No weapons.

• Beautifully-carved, stone objects.

• Tools made of bone, like

sewing needles.

• Jewellery, including pendants,

pins, necklaces and beads.

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Date Name 

Skara Brae Questions

1. What do you think House 7 was used for? Why?

2. What do you think House 8 was used for? Why?

3. What were the main differences between the earlier houses and those built later?

4. What were the advantages of a lower doorway?

5. Why was the hearth important?

6. What might the roof have been made from?

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 Skara Brae Questions
7. What elements of the houses in Skara Brae could be found in a house lived in today?

8. Give an example of evidence found at Skara Brae and what it tells us about the lives of the
people who lived there.

9. What would be your main concern if you had to live for a week in a house reconstructed to
match those at Skara Brae?

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 Skara Brae
Skara Brae is a remarkably well-preserved Stone Age Village built in the Neolithic period,
around 3000 BC.
It was discovered in AD 1850 after a heavy storm stripped away the earth that had
previ­ously been covering what we can see today.
The Houses
The remains of eight houses stand on the site.
They were not all built at the same time, so at some
point the original village was added to. Apart from
one building, which stands slightly separate from
the others, the layout of the houses is very similar.
The houses were linked by covered passageways.
The earlier houses had more of a circular shape.
There was one main room with a fire pit in the middle
and beds built into the walls at the sides. Each house
had a set of stone shelves called a dresser. The later
houses were slightly bigger and more rectangular,
although the corners were still rounded. They still
built stone beds, but not into the walls. The fire pit and
stone shelves remained. Although the doorways seem The Orkney Islands sit off the
very small to us, early humans were shorter than we North coast of Scotland. Skara
are today. Lower doorways would also have helped Brae can be found on Mainland,
keep the weather out. The doors were stone slabs and the largest of the Orkney Islands.
could be bolted shut.
House 7 House 8
At first glance, house seven is the same as all the Unlike the other houses, all built closely
others. However, it’s worth looking a little more together and linked with passageways,
closely. Some interesting facts about house seven: house eight stands alone. It had carved
patterns on the walls and no beds or
• The bodies of two women were found in a stone
shelves. It could have been a
grave under a wall. They were buried before
workshop or meeting place, or
the house was built. This could have been part
simply built on the site at a
of a ritual.
later date.
• The door could only be bolted from the outside.
The floor was found
The people inside the house would not be able to
covered in pieces of
leave of their own free will.
material used in the
• Unlike the other passageways, the passage to manufacture of tools.
house seven went only to house seven.

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 What Else Was Found There?
• Animal bones including cattle and sheep, as well as barley and wheat grown nearby, suggest
a farming community.

• Plentiful remains of fish and shellfish indicate they were also skilled fishermen. Large piles
of limpets were found but these weren’t necessarily part of their diet; they may have been
used for bait.

• The lack of weapons found suggests that life was peaceful.

• Richly-carved stone objects might have been used in religious rituals.

• Bone tools, along with the absence of tools for weaving, indicate
that animal skins were used for clothing.

• Many examples of jewellery were found including pendants, pins,

necklaces and beads.

Light, space and warmth

There were no windows but there may have been a smoke hole in the roof. There would have
been some light from the fire. As wood was scarce in the Orkney Islands, they were more likely
to have burnt seaweed, dried animal dung and peat. With straw and heather to make mattresses
and animal skins for blankets, it would have been relatively cosy - at least compared to
outside! The walls of the houses were built against ‘midden’ - piles of discarded
rubbish that would have protected the walls from the elements, as well
as provided a layer of insulation. None of the houses still have a roof,
so they must have been made from something that has since perished.
A common early roofing material in Orkney was seaweed, fixed with
ropes and stones. They could also have used straw, animals skins or turf,
laid over a frame of driftwood or whale bones found on the shore.

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Date Name 

Skara Brae Questions

1. Click an arrow to show the location of Skara Brae on the map.

2. What do you think House 7 was used for? Why?

3. What do you think House 8 was used for? Why?

4. Can you describe a difference between the earlier houses and those built later?

5. What was an advantage of a lower doorway?

6. What could you find in the centre of each house?

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 Skara Brae Questions
7. What might the roof have been made from?

8. List the features of a Skara Brae house and different items of furniture you would
find inside.

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 Skara Brae
Skara Brae is a remarkably well-preserved Stone Age Village built in the Neolithic period,
around 3000 BC.

It was discovered in AD 1850 after a heavy storm stripped away the earth that had previously
been covering what we can see today.

The Houses
The remains of eight houses stand on the site. The site
was lived on for around 600 years and there were two
stages of construction. At any one time, between 50
and 100 people may have lived there. The remains of
the oldest houses are visible as rough stone outlines;
they had a small, circular shape. The later houses were
larger and more rectangular, although the corners were
still rounded and the core design was the same. Apart
from one building, which stands slightly separate from
the others, the layout of the houses is very similar. The
houses were linked by covered passageways.

There was one main room with a fire pit or hearth

in the middle. There were no windows for light,
but there may have been a smoke hole in the
The Orkney Islands sit off the
roof. The hearth gave warmth and light as well as
North coast of Scotland. Skara
a means of cooking, and burning rubbish. As people
Brae can be found on Mainland,
would today, they were likely to have gathered round
the largest of the Orkney Islands.
the fire when it was cold and told stories. The position
in the centre of the room would have allowed the
largest number of people to gather round it for warmth. As wood was (and still is) scarce in
the Orkney Islands, they were more likely to have burnt seaweed, dried animal dung and peat.

Beds were built into the walls at the sides of the earlier houses. In the later houses, beds stuck
out towards the centre of the room, like stone boxes. The beds on the right were bigger than
the beds on the left. Perhaps the right side of the house was for the men, and the women and
children slept on the left.

Each house had a set of stone shelves, called a dresser. The dresser was carefully positioned
opposite the door. This meant that it was the first thing people would see as they entered the
house, and also that it would be illuminated by both the light from the fire and light coming
through the door. This suggests it was an important piece of furniture, possibly used to show
off prized possessions to demonstrate wealth and importance.

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 Skara Brae
Although the doorways seem very small to us, it’s worth remembering that early humans were
shorter than we are today. It also meant that visitors would be forced to bend down or kneel
as they entered, perhaps a forced show of deference. In addition, lower doorways would have
helped keep the weather out. The doors were stone slabs, and bar holes (still visible today)
indicate they could be bolted shut.

The floor area inside would be between 36 and 40 m². Some people, today, in small apartments
might have the same living space. With straw and heather to make mattresses and animal
skins for blankets, it would have been relatively cosy - at least compared to outside!

What Else Was Found There?

• Animal bones including cattle and sheep, as well as barley and wheat grown nearby, suggest
a farming community.

• Plentiful remains of fish and shellfish indicate they were also skilled fishermen. Large piles
of limpets were found but these weren’t necessarily part of their diet; they may have been
used for bait.

• The lack of weapons found suggests that life was peaceful.

• Richly-carved stone objects might have been used in religious rituals.

• Bone tools, along with the absence of tools for weaving, indicate that
animal skins were used for clothing.

• Many examples of jewellery were found including pendants, pins,

necklaces and beads.

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House 7
At first glance, house seven is the same as all the others. However, it’s worth looking a little
more closely.

Some interesting facts about house seven:

•The bodies of two women were found in a stone grave under a wall. They were buried before
the house was built. This could have been part of a ritual.

•The door could only be bolted from the outside. The people inside the house would not be able
to leave of their own free will.

•Unlike the other passageways, the passage to house seven went only to house seven.

House 8
Unlike the other houses, all built closely together and linked with passageways, house eight
stands alone. It had carved patterns on the walls and no beds or shelves. The remains of tools
were found inside. It could have been a workshop or meeting place, or simply built on the site
at a later date.

From the surrounding land, the village would have been relatively well-hidden with only the
roofs visible. It would have appeared to be a low mound. The walls of the houses were built
against and within ‘midden’ - piles of discarded rubbish that would have protected the walls
from the elements as well as provided a layer of insulation. None of the houses still have a roof,
so they must have been made from something that has since perished. A common early roofing
material in Orkney was seaweed, fixed with ropes and stones. They could also have used straw,
animals skins or turf, laid over a frame of driftwood or whale bones found on the shore.

It is possible that they had some form of toilet! There is evidence of a well-structured
drainage system.

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Date Name 

Skara Brae Questions

1. Click an arrow to show the location of Skara Brae on the map.

2. What do you think House 7 was used for? Why?

3. What do you think House 8 was used for? Why?

4. What were the main differences between the earlier houses and those built later?

5. What were the advantages of a lower doorway?

6. Why was the hearth important?

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 Skara Brae Questions
7. What might the roof have been made from?

8. What elements of the houses in Skara Brae could be found in a house lived in today?

9. Give an example of evidence found at Skara Brae and what it tells us about the lives of the
people who lived there.

10. What would be your main concern if you had to live for a week in a house reconstructed to
match those at Skara Brae?

visit twinkl.com

Click Here for Support with using Interactive PDFs