🏛️ Heart of Neolithic Orkney
Maes Howe — UNESCO World Heritage passage grave, circa 2800 BCE
📋 Fast Facts
- Built circa 2800 BCE as a passage grave and burial tomb
- Entrance passage aligns with the winter solstice sunset
- Features 12th-century Viking runes carved into interior walls
- Located on Orkney Mainland, part of a larger UNESCO-designated Neolithic complex
Maes Howe is a large chambered tomb on Orkney's Mainland, one of the finest examples of Neolithic architecture in northern Europe. Dating to around 2800 BCE, it comprises a long entrance passage leading to a circular central chamber, constructed from massive stone slabs and topped with a corbelled roof, all covered by an earthen mound. The site's astronomical alignment and engineering precision demonstrate sophisticated knowledge among Neolithic builders, while later Viking inscriptions record ...