Location in Rousay | |
Alternative name | Taversoe Tuick |
---|---|
Location | Orkney |
Coordinates | 59°07′52″N 3°00′18″W / 59.131°N 3.005°W |
Type | Chambered cairn |
History | |
Periods | Neolithic |
Taversöe Tuick (or Taversoe Tuick) is a Neolithic burial cairn on Rousay, Orkney, Scotland, thought to date from between 4000 and 2500 BCE.[1] The monument includes a rare example of a double-tiered chamber,[1] an upper chamber approached via a passageway and a lower subterranean chamber, originally separate, which can now be reached via a modern ladder from the upper chamber.[2][3] It is unknown why the chambers were stacked in this way.[3] The monument includes a third miniature chamber slightly downhill of the lower chamber, and linked to it by a small channel which has sometimes been called a 'drain' although that is not believed to be its true purpose.[4]
In 1898 excavations uncovered part of the upper chamber, and access was gained to the intact lower chamber.[4] The site was fully excavated in 1937, at which time the upper chamber was covered with a domed roof.[4] Finds included several skeletons, cremated bone, bowls, a mace-head, a flint arrowhead and scrapers, and shale disc beads.[4]
The site is a scheduled monument in the care of Historic Environment Scotland,[2] and the monument and chambers are open to the public.[3]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Taversöe Tuick Chambered Cairn". Historic Environment Scotland: Visit a Place. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- 1 2 "Taversoe Tuick, chambered cairn and nearby remains". Historic Environment Scotland. SM90297. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- 1 2 3 Hamilton, Dave (2019). Wild Ruins BC. Bath: Wild Things Publishing. p. 270. ISBN 978-1910636169.
- 1 2 3 4 "Rousay, Taversoe Tuick". Canmore. 2634. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
External links