The Neolithic megalithic monument attracts attention with its uniqueness: Dwarfy Stein, unlike other tombs of these islands, is carved from solid stone.
The Orkney Islands, located north of Scotland, boast a rich history. One of the relics is Dwarfy Stein: a mysterious prehistoric tomb located on Hoy Island. It belongs to the Neolithic period, according to Ancient Origins.
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Dwarfy Stein: a relic of the islands
The Orkney Islands are located in the north of Scotland. This is an archipelago of about 70 islands, of which only 20 are inhabited. Since the Neolithic period, many monuments belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage have remained on the islands.
Dwarfy Stein, translated from English as “stone of the dwarf (dwarf)”, is a megalithic burial ground, which is dated to the verge of 3-2 millennium BC. It is located in the middle of a valley in the middle of Hoy Island, between the settlements of Rakvik and Cuyos: it is a green and barren place, often shrouded in mist.
Dwarfy Stein is a tomb carved into a massive, almost rectangular block of red limestone, 8.6 meters long and 4 meters wide. The block is slightly inclined and at the highest point its height is about 2.5 meters.
The height of the ceiling inside is only 1 meter, so people who went inside had to either kneel or be very bent. Or be gnomes, which gave the tomb its name
Фото: Otter/ CC BY-SA 3.0
Once the entrance to the tomb, located on the western side, was covered by a stone slab. Now it lies opposite the entrance – a square measuring 1 meter. From it inside the block there is a passage a little over 2 meters long, with two chambers on the sides. The height of the ceiling inside is only 1 meter, so people who went inside had to either kneel or be very bent. Or be gnomes, which gave the tomb its name.
There are many legends associated with this place. As the title suggests, one of the stories claims that a dwarf once lived inside, named Trollid. According to another, the tomb was built, no matter how strange, by the giants. Walter Scott also spoke about this tomb in his novel The Pirate, published in 1821.
Tomb of the Unknown
Whatever legends say, this monument belongs to the Neolithic era. Perhaps this tomb belonged to the ancient leader of this island or the ruler of some tribe. The space of the tomb is carved with great precision: its walls are smooth, with small indentations where the deceased should lie. In the right chamber there is even a “cushion”, an unhewn stone. There is no doubt that ancient people devoted a lot of time to work, since this type of stone is very dense and hard, and the only materials available at that time for tools were stone and antler.
Over the centuries, the tomb was looted: grave robbers, instead of removing the stone that closed the entrance, cut a hole in the ceiling. The exact time of the incident is unknown, but the hole was noticed in the 16th century. Nowadays it is already filled with concrete.
Unique in its simplicity
Despite its simplicity, Dwarfy Stein is a unique attraction in Scotland. There are similar tombs only in Southern Europe, namely in the Mediterranean. Scholars have speculated that this tomb is an imitation, but this theory has been rejected as there is no evidence that Dwarfy-Stein has a direct connection with Mediterranean tombs. Be that as it may, this tomb is the only tomb of the Neolithic period in Britain, which is carved into the rock. Interestingly, in general, Dwarfy Stein is similar to local burial grounds, however, they are all built from individual stones, and not carved from solid blocks.
This place has always been popular and many visitors left inscriptions on the stone, including Captain William Mounce.
Фото: Bruce McAdam/ CC BY-SA 2.0
This place has always been popular and many visitors left inscriptions on the stone, including Captain William Mounce, who in 1850 left an inscription in Persian: “I sat two nights and learned patience.” Above the Persian language there is another of his inscriptions – the name “Maunsey”, written backwards in Latin.
Focus had previously told of the burial of a Roman aristocrat in Garforth, Britain. She was found buried in a lead sarcophagus.
We also talked about an Egyptian tomb that turned out to be false. The unknown created an extremely convincing forgery.
