While history might occasionally come out as a bit dry and uninteresting, there are other times when astounding discoveries are made that leave us spellbound. One such discovery is this one.
There is a well nestled away surreptitiously by a small brook in Scotland, entrenched and concealed among the beautiful hills. At first glance, it might not look all that amazing, but once you inside, you’ll be astounded by what you find.
This was a very significant location over a thousand years ago, but it was later lost and buried in the sand. Nobody knew this location even existed, but in 1850, a catastrophic storm that devastated the Orkney Islands made its presence known.
A secret older than the magnificent pyramids in Egypt is hidden on the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland, tucked away among mossy and verdant hills.
Although it may not initially appear to be much from the outside, this location is actually quite special.
There is a really old underground city that is completely preserved just here on this lush slope. The ancient town is known as Skara Brae.
A strong storm that hit the Orkney Islands in the 1850s left enormous destruction and more than 200 people dead. But there is some good mixed in with the terrible. Because the adjacent farmers found a town on the sand when the storm passed.
Eight stone buildings make up the hamlet, which was thought to have been occupied between 3180 and 2500 BC. Thus, Skara Brae is one of Britain’s earliest agricultural communities.
Skara Brae’s well-preserved ruins have earned it the moniker “Scotland’s Pompeji.”
The structures and their contents have been beautifully preserved over the centuries due to the surrounding sand’s protection from the cold and the buildings’ architectural design.
About 50–100 individuals, according to archaeologists, resided in the village. The houses were 1500 meters from the sea once the village had been constructed.
There were appropriate pastures for the community surrounding the homes. The sea has now eroded its way closer to the village, providing a breathtaking picture.
The hamlet, at its largest, consisted of seven or eight dwellings connected by tunnels. A stone door could be used to separate each home.
Nobody knows why, but there is always one bed that is larger than the rest in each room. Along with desks, chairs, and storage containers, each area has lockers. These storage containers were made to be watertight, which suggests that live seafood was maybe kept within the homes for later consumption.
One of the homes is unique compared to the others. No beds or other furnishings have been uncovered by the archaeologists here. The home is thought to have been a workshop.
The village has a sewage system as well as rudimentary toilets in each home.
Families formed constituted the civilization of Skara Brae. Because the house designs are so similar, archaeologists have come to the conclusion that the civilization was fairly egalitarian and free of authoritarian rule.
During the last phases of the British Iron Age, a group of unknown provenance who lived in eastern and northern Scotland are thought by some to have been the villagers, or poets. The people who once resided here, however, may have been much older than that, according to archaeological discoveries.
At the location, a number of mysterious discoveries have been uncovered. Among other things, a stone ball with carvings. Nobody is certain of its purpose.
Nobody is aware of the village’s disappearance. However, a climate change approximately 2500 BC made the Orkney Islands’ weather colder and more humid. There are numerous explanations for why Skara Brae perished. The most prevalent theories contend that a severe storm occurred.
Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, among others, have brought up the conspiracy theory that Stonehenge appears to have been abandoned around the same period.
So what does Skara Bra’s future hold? Despite being approximately two kilometers from the beach, the community has come under more and more threat from the sea in recent generations. Since 1926, a concrete wall has shielded the homes from the oncoming sea and severe fall storms.
In order to protect the settlement, Skara Brae, and numerous other historic sites that are in danger of being destroyed, it has been suggested that an artificial beach made of stone blocks and a breakwater be constructed. However, nothing has yet occurred.
Tourists can still visit this amazing location for the time being, but how long will that last?
I sincerely hope the Scottish government does everything within its power to protect this amazing area.
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