In the Northern part of Scotland, on the island of Papa Westray, which is part of the Orkney archipelago, there are perfectly preserved structures built during the Neolithic period. The site, called Knap of Howar, consists of several stone houses that were used in 3500-3100 BC. At that time, the Orkney Islands were a territory with a highly developed Neolithic culture. The basis of the religion was Sun worship, and the religious buildings of that period, known as the rings of Brodgar, are no less famous than Stonehenge.
The complex was once a farm consisting of two buildings with thick walls and low passageways. There is a corridor between the houses that connects them. Probably, one of the buildings was a residential building, and the second was a workshop. There are no window openings, the researchers believe that daylight came through holes in the roof to remove smoke. The houses are located on the coast, as the building material used stones, which due to the impact of the environment have taken the form of thin plates.
The height of the walls remained the same as in the years when it was just built-1.6 meters. In addition, the furniture made of stone remains intact, which helps to better understand the life of ancient people. Here you can see beds, walls between rooms, shelves for various things. The inhabitants of the farm grew crops, kept sheep and pigs, and fished. The climate at that time was much warmer and approximately corresponded to the current one in southern England or Northern France, which allowed farming.
Photo © ru.wikipedia.org
Photo © ru.wikipedia.org
Photo © ru.wikipedia.org