Skara Brae
A great storm stripped the sand from an Orkney dune and revealed a Stone Age village, its stone beds and dressers still in place.
What was reported
In the winter of 1850, a severe storm tore the grass and sand from a large dune at the Bay of Skaill, on Orkney's west coast, revealing the outlines of stone buildings. The local laird, William Watt, began to dig.
Beneath the sand was a village of about eight houses linked by covered passages, with stone furniture still inside: beds, dresser-like shelves, hearths and storage boxes. It was lived in from about 3100 to 2500 BC, before Stonehenge's great circle and the Great Pyramid.
Explanations offered
The village survived because it was buried in sand. It's one of the best-preserved Stone Age settlements in Europe, part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. Why it was abandoned isn't known.
- When
- Uncovered in 1850
- Where
- Bay of Skaill, Orkney, Scotland
- Witnesses
- The laird of Skaill, after a great storm
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.