A Neolithic Revolution: Skara Brae
A Neolithic Revolution: Skara Brae
The Neolithic revolution took place around 5,000 – 10,000 years ago. During that time, many changes occurred in regards as to how groups of people resided, collected their food and settled in small villages. This incredible innovation led to the reshaping of what farming has become today. Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland, is an incredible indication of the villages that people set up during this time period. This innovation of switching from hunting and gathering to domestication made huge enhancements into the way that people do things today. This domestication meant that the people of Skara Brae and the Neolithic revolution were able to settle down and build small communities without having to rely on going out and hunting for their food.
Throughout, the group that resided at Skara Brae will be referred to as “the people” because they were never assigned a formal name due to the archaeological and historical perspective of the site. The archaeological site of Skara Brae is considered as one of the best-preserved group of Stone Age houses in Western Europe. (Leask and Garrod, 2009, 3) The site is located in the Bay of Skaill, right next to the ocean. It is believed that the village was inhabited around 3100 BC to 2500 BC (Leask and Garrod, 2009, 3) which coincides with the Neolithic revolution. The houses on the site appear to have been modified over time, and although there was a great abundance of land that they could have used in order to expand the sizes of their villages, it appears that they continually built on top of the existing village, and therefore there are remains of older houses underneath the ones that are currently on the site. (Simpson et al., 2006, 225) The collection of houses is connected by roofed passageways and contains stone furniture, hearths and drains. (Leask and Garrod, 2009, 3) The incredible preservation of the site gives an incredible view as to how the people of Skara Brae lived, through just
The Neolithic revolution took place around 5,000 – 10,000 years ago. During that time, many changes occurred in regards as to how groups of people resided, collected their food and settled in small villages. This incredible innovation led to the reshaping of what farming has become today. Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland, is an incredible indication of the villages that people set up during this time period. This innovation of switching from hunting and gathering to domestication made huge enhancements into the way that people do things today. This domestication meant that the people of Skara Brae and the Neolithic revolution were able to settle down and build small communities without having to rely on going out and hunting for their food.
Throughout, the group that resided at Skara Brae will be referred to as “the people” because they were never assigned a formal name due to the archaeological and historical perspective of the site. The archaeological site of Skara Brae is considered as one of the best-preserved group of Stone Age houses in Western Europe. (Leask and Garrod, 2009, 3) The site is located in the Bay of Skaill, right next to the ocean. It is believed that the village was inhabited around 3100 BC to 2500 BC (Leask and Garrod, 2009, 3) which coincides with the Neolithic revolution. The houses on the site appear to have been modified over time, and although there was a great abundance of land that they could have used in order to expand the sizes of their villages, it appears that they continually built on top of the existing village, and therefore there are remains of older houses underneath the ones that are currently on the site. (Simpson et al., 2006, 225) The collection of houses is connected by roofed passageways and contains stone furniture, hearths and drains. (Leask and Garrod, 2009, 3) The incredible preservation of the site gives an incredible view as to how the people of Skara Brae lived, through just