Skara Brae is a Neolithic Age site, consisting of ten stone structures, near the Bay of Skaill, Orkney, Scotland. Today the village is situated by the shore but when it was inhabited (c.3100-2500 BCE) it would have been further inland. Steady erosion of the land over the centuries has altered the landscape considerably and interpretations of the site, based upon its present location, have had to be re-evaluated in light of this. The name `Skara Brae' is a corruption of the old name for the site, `Skerrabra' or `Styerrabrae' which designated the mound which buried (and thereby preserved) the buildings of the village. The name by which the original inhabitants knew the site is unknown. Skara Brae is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 3300 BCE - 2600 BCENeolithic site of Barnhouse Settlement occupied.
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c. 3100 BCENeolithic village of Skara Brae inhabited.
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3100 BCENeolithic Village of Skara Brae inhabited, stone walls built.
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c. 3000 BCE - c. 2800 BCEThe Neolithic chambered cairn known as Maeshowe constructed and in use.
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2600 BCEBarnhouse Settlement abandoned and partially destroyed by inhabitants.
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c. 2500 BCEVillage of Skara Brae is abandoned for unknown reasons.
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1850 CEBuried Neolithic Age village of Skara Brae uncovered by storm.
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1913 CESkara Brae site is plundered by unknown parties.
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1924 CESkara Brae is placed under guardianship of H.M. Commissioners of Works.
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1924 CEA storm damages the exposed village of Skara Brae and destroys one house.
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1927 CEProfessional excavation and preservation efforts begin at Skara Brae under V. G. Childe and J.W. Paterson.
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1999 CESkara Brae declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
