On 16 December 2003 21:34, stephen davie wrote: > I like the option best where Muffy was the dear friend of the > deceased, and therefore he was sent along with the dead chap, a > timeless companion. Choice two was to have Thor keep the evil spirits > away whilst the spirit of the dead guy slumbered. > > Whatever the rituals were, they seemed to border on the elaborate, > when compared with those beachside qickie internments the > Vikings were > fond of. The Vikings have nothing to do with the Neolithic cairns. The Norse settlers came almost 4,000 years after the Cuween Cairn was in use. > When they find such a thing, do they evaluate the surrounding > area for > other artifacts? What would they expect to find? Would it be > in line to > suspect there would have been a village nearby? There is a village nearby. One of the oldest found in Orkney so far. The Stonehall settlement lies in the shadow of the Cuween Cairn. However, when many of Orkney chambered cairns were opened the antiquarians involved were more interested in the contents than the surrounding area. Fortunately this is now being remedied (in some cases( -- Sigurd Towrie Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com Home: sigurd@orkneyjar.com Work: sigurd.towrie@orcadian.co.uk

I recognize of course the separation in time and with respect to culture between the two peoples. My point is that the much older society didn't seem less sophisticated than the latter year Vikings, insofar as burials are concerned. I wonder if tools or cooking vessels were unearthed much like our North American first nations sites would produce. Or was there any wood used in conjunction with the stonework. Wood is so much easier to time date with current day \testing methods. In some ways the stone structures look as if they were Mayan or Inca. I have an old milling stone that sits beside my fireplace which I am told is pre-invasion by the European set to this part of the world. We are located in an area rife with old native villages. I can literally dig up arrowheads in my back yard. But this is not so ancient, at least most of it isn't The masonry is the real treat in the photos I see in Orkney Cairns as they call them on your maps. Rather well done considering the limitations in tools and mortar. The ancient aspect of these monuments to Orkney's past, are a mystery and an awesome footprint to be found in such good condition. I wonder if they have dug a recent site, with digging logs and lists of contents unearthed. Stephen (off to the City Hall tonight to listen to my Brother-in-law play his sax in the concert band's Xmas tribute. Wonder if there is such a thing as Xmas pipe music. Must ask cousin Malcolm, our family piper.) December 16, 2003, at 04:47 PM, Sigurd Towrie wrote: > On 16 December 2003 21:34, stephen davie wrote: > > >> I like the option best where Muffy was the dear friend of the >> deceased, and therefore he was sent along with the dead chap, a >> timeless companion. Choice two was to have Thor keep the evil spirits >> away whilst the spirit of the dead guy slumbered. >> >> Whatever the rituals were, they seemed to border on the elaborate, >> when compared with those beachside qickie internments the >> Vikings were >> fond of. > > The Vikings have nothing to do with the Neolithic cairns. The Norse > settlers came almost 4,000 years after the Cuween Cairn was in use. > >> When they find such a thing, do they evaluate the surrounding >> area for >> other artifacts? What would they expect to find? Would it be >> in line to >> suspect there would have been a village nearby? > > There is a village nearby. One of the oldest found in Orkney so far. > The > Stonehall settlement lies in the shadow of the Cuween Cairn. However, > when many of Orkney chambered cairns were opened the antiquarians > involved were more interested in the contents than the surrounding > area. > Fortunately this is now being remedied (in some cases( > > -- > Sigurd Towrie > Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney > Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com > Home: sigurd@orkneyjar.com > Work: sigurd.towrie@orcadian.co.uk > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the > word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >