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Skaill
Cist (Period Unassigned), Human Remains (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Skaill
Classification Cist (Period Unassigned), Human Remains (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 138798
Site Number HY21NW 30.02
NGR HY 2294 1876
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/138798
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Sandwick
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Orkney
- Former County Orkney
HY21NW 30.02 2294 1876
HY 2294 1876 A cist containing a skeleton had been partly excavated by the HS field monument warden Julie Gibson in 1994 as it was being exposed by coastal erosion. The remaining cist and skeleton were again being exposed by the sea in 1996 and so GUARD were asked to complete the excavation and retrieve the bones.
The cist had been constructed within a cut dug through several humic sand layers. It consisted of collapsed side slabs and a large cover slab. The skeleton was found lying in a prone position with its head turned to the right. A single small iron object, probably a nail, was found within the grave. It was thought to be of an adult male of less than 30 years of age. The cist was sealed by a layer of redeposited sand above which was a layer of small stones, which possibly formed a low circular cairn over the burial.
Immediately to the NW of the cist in the same eroding section were other structural elements which were sealed by the humic sand noted above. These elements consisted of small sections of upright and collapsed walls. The quality of the stonework and stratigraphy suggested that the stonework was prehistoric.
Sponsor: Historic Scotland
H F James 1997
