Links of Noltland is a large prehistoric settlement located on the north coast of the island of

Westray Westray (, sco, Westree) is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, with a usual resident population of just under 600 people. Its main village is Pierowall, with a heritage centre, the 15th-century Lady Kirk church and pedestrian ferry servic ...

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The extensive ruins includes several late

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and early

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

dwellings and is place of discovery of the Westray Wife figurine, first uncovered during an excavation in 2009.

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...

established the site as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

in 1993.

Location

Links of Noltland is located south of the Bay of Grobust on the island of Westray in Orkney, Scotland. Close to the site is the Knowe of Queen o' Howe broch and further south is

Noltland Castle Noltland Castle is located near Pierowall on the island of Westray in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. It dates mainly to the later 16th century, although it was never fully completed. The castle is protected as a scheduled monument. History I ...

Description

The ancient settlement, dating from around 3300 BCE to 800 BCE, contains several late Neolithc and Bronze Age structural ruins, now buried beneath sand dunes. During excavations between 1978 and 1981, large midden deposits, structural remains, and field walls, which indicated evidence of prehistoric cultivation and field boundaries, were uncovered. Among the finds in the western area of the site was a hearth and several red deer skeletons. In the eastern section of the archaeological site, was a large building which had survived to roof height. The structure included several separate rooms and compartments joined by passages. In 2009, archaeological excavation uncovered a large building described as a "village hall". The structure overlooks the main settlement and would have been about wide and had walls thick. During this excavation, a lozenge-shaped figurine that is believed to be the earliest representation of a human face ever found in Scotland, now known as the Westray Wife (or Orkney Venus) was discovered. The face has two dots for eyes, heavy brows and an oblong nose and a pattern of hatches on the body could represent clothing. Archaeologist Richard Strachan described it at the time as a find of "astonishing rarity". Two further figurines were subsequently found at the site, one in 2010 and the other in 2012, a situation described as "unprecedented" by

Culture Minister A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizat ...

Fiona Hyslop Fiona Jane Hyslop (born 1 August 1964) is a Scottish politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture from 2020 to 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been a Member of the Scottish Parliamen ...

. Later excavations, along with geophysical and topographical surveys, have revealed additional structural remains, increasing the number of probable Neolithic buildings to six and the number of Bronze Age buildings to eight. Many Neolithic artefacts have been found, including polished stone axes, worked bone objects, and

grooved ware Grooved ware is the name given to a pottery style of the British Neolithic. Its manufacturers are sometimes known as the Grooved ware people. Unlike the later Beaker ware, Grooved culture was not an import from the continent but seems to have dev ...

pottery.

established the site as a

in 1993.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Links Of Noltland 3rd-millennium BC architecture in Scotland Archaeological sites in Orkney Stone Age sites in Scotland Bronze Age sites in Scotland Prehistoric Orkney Historic Scotland properties in Orkney Scheduled monuments in Scotland Neolithic Scotland Westray

Location

Description

See also

Footnotes