I. A STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT AT THE BRAES OF RINYO, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. (FIRST REPORT.) BY PROFESSOR V. G. CHILDE, F.S.A.ScoT., AND WALTER G. GRANT, F.S.A.ScoT.

Sherds and flints have frequently turned up on the lands of Bigland Brae e settlemen e fooFarth e th Rinyof f th so o t mt a Bu . t here described was first discovered by James Yorston, jun., an employe of Mr Grant's, engage prospectinn i d g unde s directiohi r n durin wintee th g f 1937-8o r . Following up indications afforded by slabs on edge projecting through the turf, he exposed the outlines of prehistoric dwellings, including the whol whaf eo t wil, F , l hereafteD part, d B an f so C describee rb d an A s da . RecognisinG d an g thae architecturth t d relican e s agreed with those discovere t Skara d a Brae t thabu , t their association with sherda f o s Beake sitw re ne gavexceptiona e eth l importance desistee h , d from further operations until excavations could be carried out under our continuous supervision. We began work in June 1938 and continued till the middle of July, after which dat e ruinth e s were covered over protectionfo r . Durin weekx si g f relativelo s y unfavourable weathe e completew r e th d examination of chambers A, B, C, and D and brought to light a new chamber situated beneath them. The results obtained suggest that we have on Rousay a complete settlement of Beaker age or earlier, the full excavation of which may be expected to prove no less revolutionary for British prehistory than that of Koln-Lindentha s bee r Centraha lfo n l STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 7

European. But it will require several seasons' work, so it has seemed desirabl o publist e t oncha fairlea y full accoun e resultth f o st obtained up to date. In the north-east corner of Rousay the land falls away in a south- westerly direction from the heights of Faraclett Head in a succession of terraces where the flagstones, bedded almost horizontally, crop out in a series of miniature precipices. The lowest of these terraces rises to 100 feet above O.D., or rather over 20 feet (in a distance of 80 feet) above the cultivated fields of Bigland Farm. The prehistoric settlement begins immediately at the foot of this steep brae, which shelters it (see fig. 1). The preservation of the buildings described below is to be attributed at leasscree hild parn th i te an lo t twas h fro terrace mth e aboveth n O . other hand, the outcrops on the brae have been quarried for building ston r centuriesefo eved e stee e basth an , n th f p eo declivity, thougw hno reserved, like the moor above it, for pasture, seems not to have escaped agricultural operations. Stones of the prehistoric dwellings projected abov ture eth f before excavation started severad an , thesf o l heavile ear y scored on their exposed edges. From the base of the brae the lower beds of flagstone are covered with a relatively deep deposit of soil washed in from above. Over the area excavated this deposit, constituting the subsoil on which the village was built, slopes down, uninterrupted by rock, west- south-west at a rate of 1 in 5. But this predominantly westward slope is traversed by undulations at right angles to it, accounting for differences in level of little more than 8 feet in 15 feet from north to south (PI. I). Remains of human occupation have been encountered throughout the excavated area immediately above virgin soil wherever this has been reached pottere Th . y foun n suci d h situations comprises, like that from e loweth r level t Skara s a Brae waresB ,d botan . hA But e , savth n ei troug a south-to-nort f o h h undulation, only 'fragment f constructiono s s have yet been found resting on virgin soil; the bulk of the constructions exposed rest upon artificial deposits presumably accumulated before their erection. Soundings have shown that ruins exten a distanc r yard0 5 fo d f so e westward towards the farm buildings across a field covered this summer by a hay-crop. The area excavated during 1938, however, measures only some 30 feet from east to west and 40 feet from north to south. On the sout e excavatiohth n began roughln undulatioe cresa th f o n t yo d nan followe e slopdth e downwar trouga norte th o dt n hho which seeme b o t s connected with a line of vertical fracture in the outcropping rock. On the east the boundary of the area coincided in practice with a series of rock-ledges which for e lowesmth e tfirs th ste t o pt terrace braeth f .o e The ledges are, however, only shallow, and there are traces of occupation 8 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193812 R .

Fig. 1. The Environs of Rinyo. STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY9 .

even above them. East of, and above, the ledge the natural exposures of rock have been accentuate d modifiean d stila o lt d uncertain extent by undateable quarrying. Presumably the Rinyoans themselves initiated these operations, for the immense quantity of stone incorporated in the prehistoric houses cannot have been entirely supplie e productth y b df o s "weathering. Of course the flagstone breaks so easily along bedding planes and "backs" tha t couli t d easil quarriee yb d with stone lowetoolse Th r. chambe e Taiversth n i r o Tuick burial mound itself provide a supers b example of how skilfully admittedly "Neolithic" people could deal with the Rousay flagstone. To make this area habitable it had to be drained and levelled. During raine th f 193 so foun e 8w d tha drainage th t e from abov t onleno y trickled down over the rocks, but also seeped out through joints in the stone. To carry off such moistur emaia n drai beed nha n dug, running parallee th o t l rock-ledges, nort d south h an trouge r e nort t th leasfa a th , s f s ha ha o t undulation that formed the northern limit of our excavation. The un- evenness of the ground-level was partly counteracted by the construction of terraces formed of midden material or of layers of horizontal slabs. e Ogrounnth d thus prepare have dw e exposed four chambers, provey db the presence of hearths to be occupational units. Not even these four are necessarily contemporary somd an ,theif eo r walls cover fragment otherf so s which mus earliere b tchambere Th . s have beed n an numbere , C , B , dA D, and it will be convenient to describe them in that order, reserving for subsequent discussio questioe nth theif no r chronological relations (PI. II). Chambe s situatei rA d jus te undulation crese nortth th f o f th o e Th . ruins of the older chamber, E, under its north wall, however, reduce the slope across A's floor in this direction to 1 in 30, but from east to'west the floor is inclined as much as 1 in 7! (sections AB and CD). Without annexes chamber A is approximately a rectangle with two corners rounded, 15 feet long north-west to south-east and 11 feet wide. It is entered at its north- western end through a passage-doorway situated west of the centre of the end wal . Stoul1) (PI, IV .t slab edgn o s e for outee mth r jambs. Behind them a thin slab projects edgewise from the left-hand wall to serve as check; no corresponding check survives in the opposite wall and the aperture at this point is 2 feet 3 inches wide. Beyond the check the door cheeks are faced with slabs on edge which are preserved to heights of 1 foot 6 inches and 1 foot 10 inches respectively above the pavement, without, however, showing holes for the bar such as pierce the similar slab doorwayn si typf t Skarso a eI a Brae. In the chamber's side walls are bed enclosures demarcated by slabs on edge precisely as at Skara Brae. That on the left (PI. IV, 2) projects into e chambe th e manneth n i r r normae Mainlanth n o l d thoug s alsi ot i h recessed inte sidoth e dept a walbace foot 1 o Th t f lk ho . wal f thio l s 10 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

s formei a singld f be o d e sla f slatebo y stone ove fee2 r inche6 t s high, •which has been pushed forward by the weight of earth behind it so that it's upper edge now overhangs 8 inches. The right-hand bed is recessed into the south-west wall, as in chamber 9 at Skara Brae, and is separated from the main chamber by two slabs in line "with the wall, respectively foo1 incheinche8 8 t d san high. e easth t n I corne a smalr l tank (limpet box), walled, flooredd an , covered with carefully trimmed rectangular "slates, bees t "intha n e le oth actualls wa d li y e founfloorTh position n d.i receptacle th t bu , e contained nothing but earth and midden material that had filtered in under the lid. Bast of the centre of the rear wall a door at some period led into chamber B. The doorway is flanked on the left by a stout block rising 1 foot 10 inches above the pavement, and on the right by a masonry pier of which three courses alone surviv e left heigha th lin e foot1 f o cheee t o Th f o t. s ki continue courseo tw y masonryf dsb o e masonr th right-hane t th bu n , yo d wall is interrupted by a slab on edge, now terribly decayed and tilted out e verticaloth f , which inay once have projecte o fort d ma checke Th . doorway was paved throughout its length with a drain running under the pavement on the left-hand side. The door was found blocked up loosely wit hwhile horizontaus f e o d gonchambe t s ha ou et i wa l f slabi A r s a s still occupied. Beyon e piedth r flankin e communicatioth g ne righa th doo s i tn o r recess abou foo1 t t deep occupyin whole gth e south cornechambere th f o r . e middl s th reait n f I reo wall stand a blocs edgen ko , 1^ foot higt bu h tilted westward collapse owin draie th th o gt f n eo lintels t recallI . e th s piers supporting dressers at Skara Brae. The south corner of the recess was occupie a masonr y db y pier three courses high t bondeno , d inte oth chamber wallssouth-wese Th . behinn o t n walfouns dru wa lthio dt s pier to abut on a very stout block on edge in the south-east wall that might also have been connected with a dresser. From the left-hand cheek of the main door to the corresponding cheek of the rear communication door the eastern "wall of chamber A forms a unit with carefully rounded corners preserves i t I heigh.a foo1 o d t f to t inche8 r fouo s r course f masonrso e north-west,th n y o badl s i t ybu broken down fro e nortmth h corne d standan r s onl inchey7 se eas th hig tn hi corner. e doo Wese th south-eas th f r o t d walen tl again seems unitary apart fro piee mth r addecornere south-wese th n Th di . t wall stands only tw threr oo e courses high bed-recesse soutth f ho t theI . n turns rouno dt form the end wall of the recess, but is not bonded into the latter's rear wall. Instead there is a gap, the south-west or rear wall of the bed being e mosformeth r e toute fo th dpar f e walro tth f chambefac o f l o e , D r partially reconstructed and only roughly bonded into the north-west end wall of the bed at the north corner (PL V, 1). This end wall then turns Pmc. Soc. Ant. Scot.] [VOL. LXXIII.

C'KCAVATCO To VICX.

Expo-seo.

— • ;——• —" Appcox CONTOUR LINES.

RINYO, ROUSAY , ORKNEY.

V. G. CHILDE and WALTER Gr. GRANT. PLATE I. face[To page W. Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot.] [VOL. LXXIII.

RINYO, EOUSA Y, ORKNEY.

V. G. CHILDE and WALTER G. GRANT. PLAT. EII Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot.] [VOL. LXXIII.

rr-—iT4.

T I O N A.- B.

SECTION E-F 5ECTION G.-H

RINYO , ROUSAY OBkNEY.

V. G. CHILDE and WALTER G. GRANT. PLATE III. STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 11

round to continue the south-west wall of the chamber, till at the west corner, t whicroundedno s hi t i bond, s inte north-wesoth t wall. This stands 1 foot 5 inches high at the corner. The whole floor of the chamber was covered with a layer of clay some 2 inches thick upon which most of the relics lay. It entirely masked the central fireplace, the position of which was only indicated at this stage by d bakean dh as clay d a patc.re f hBehino d this patcslaa y b hla ove r 4 feet long, evidently fallen, which recalled the taller pillar stone found fallea simila n i n r positio n chambeni t Skara 7 r a Braeremovinn O . g the clay and fallen slabs other articles of furniture and some stone paving were exposed. The central hearth, placed just as at Skara Brae between the two beds, was only 2 feet square (PI. IV, 1). Only two kerbstones (on the north- east and north-west) and the decayed hearth-plate survived. Parallel to the north-east kerb two thin slabs on edge frame a narrow channel, 4 inches wide, that seems to run into an irregular hole in the clay floor nea ease th rt s fillecornee hearthth wa d f t o I rwit . h softe d darkean r r material than the rest of the midden under the floor, and may be regarded as a sump connected with the main drain by a branch channel under the hearth. Abou fee3 t t south-eas e soutth f ho t cornee hearta th s f o rhwa post-hole, about 3 inches across, framed by three small slabs on edge. Under the fallen "pillar slab" was an accumulation of burnt clay that y represenma e squasheth t d n overuina s f founno s wa n suci ds a h chamber C. About a foot to the east of this accumulation a slatey slab, hollowed out in precisely the same manner as that under the C oven, was actually discovered (PI. V, 2). But this was embedded beneath the floor deposit, covered by another slab, and engaged beneath the floor of the "limpet box" (PL VI, 1). It cannot therefore have belonged to the hypothetical oven 'e squashe' pillar,' th fale f o reallth ld y an d'b y seemo st have been re-use coveo dt draie th r n that runs unde communicatioe th r n door and beneath the floor as far as the sump at the east corner of the hearth. The sump, as already noted, probably connected under the hearth wit maie hth n drainlattee Th r. channel, roofed throughout with massive lintels, runs across the whole length of the chamber. Entering near the south cornee south-easth f o r walld en t passe i , s jus te heart westh f o ht and runs out under the wall at the west corner. The floor of the channel t pavei sno onld dan y rough masonry support lintelse sth . clearinn I chambee gth largo n r e accumulatio f falleno n building stones was found cumbering the floor between the surviving wall stumps. Now, clearly, stones fallen fro e wallmth s woul t havno d e been removey b d modern plunderer greatea o t s r depth tha walle nth s themselves. Hence if the masonry of the walls had once been carried higher (as at Skara 12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

Brae d hadan ) . collapsed inte chamberoth e debrith , s must have been removed either by the Rinyoans themselves or by their immediate successors, but in any case before the ruins became grass-grown. The description of the inner wall, given above, will have suggested that chambe onls ywa parlargea a f A r o t r complex. This truth wil clearee b l r from 'a consideration of the outer wall-face of the chamber' In fact it is norte onlth n hyo tha trua t e outer face survives eved an ,n ther vers i t eyi much dilapidated e righth n t e O mai(west.th f no ) doorwa e casinyth g wall of chamber D abuts on the outer wall of A, but the latter's face is not carrie behinn do e casindth g wall; thereafte chambee th r r wal s simpli l y one course thick ,e insid faceth n eo d onlbacked yan againsp du t midden packing. Outside both casing and outer facing walls at their junction a solid slab on edge forms an outer jamb to the door. A corresponding slab stands on the left of the door. Eastward of it the wall of A is faced externally for a distance of 5 feet, giving the wall a total thicknese fac th n questioi e t feet4 Bu f so .n seems reall o conyt - stitute one wall of a passage running between A and the complex of buildings provisionally termed chambers F and G. Behind this face another is visible (PI. VI, 2), and its line seems to be continued by slabs on edge, now more or less displaced, as far as the chamber's north corner; such slabs were commonl ye oute th use n ri d face f wallo s t a Skars a Brae. e walth The l d masonryan y reswidn o t e slab footings 82-4 feet above O.D. (PI. XVI, 1). Beyond the corner on the east no outer face survives. Presumably the inner wall was simply backed up against a packing of midden, whil e rock-ledgeth e ) woul 7 e bra . th e(p df o s tak e placeth f eo a casing wall. On the south-east the end wall of A frankly coincides with the wall of B. On the west no recognisable outer face survives. The rear (inner) wall of the right-hand bed is itself just the outer face of the wall round chamber D for a distance of 3 feet from the bed's south corner. But it looks as if the wall of D, though going down 9 inches below the bed's floor (section AB), had been entirely reset for incorporation in the inner wall of A. After 3 feet there is a break in the masonry, and the remaining 3^ feet seems formed of courses loosely added to D's wall, which was f courseo , , curving away from chambe. rA From chambe e coul on t a somd A r e period pass into chambeB r through a passage 2 feet 6 inches long that has already been described. e chambeOth f r thus reached onl ysmala l hearth fee2 , t square a slat, e box immediatel righe recesa e door th d th tlefe o f st an ,surviv o th t yo t e (PI. VII, 1). The only recognisable wall round B is that on the north- west, which it shares with A, and 2 feet of masonry, only two courses high, running southward fro northers mit n corner slabo edgn sTw o . e south- west of the hearth may mark the line of the same wall's outer face; the ledg outcrof eo p perhaps coincided wit correspondine hth g north-east wall. STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 13

Oeas e flooe nth th Btf virgis i o r n soilt sinc bu latte,e slopines th rwa g very steeply (section EF) several layers of slabs had to be laid down on the west to level up the floor. This pavement is supported by a terrace wall, 18 inches to 2 feet high, bounded on the south-west by a line of slabs on edge f whico , h onlo surviveytw . This masonry platform itself rests upon a layer of midden, only 9 inches deep, terraced upon the sloping virgin soil by the east wall of "chamber C." The main drain, already encountered unde run A, floo sthe r of rthroug h this platform undethe r floor of B too. The primary channel is a trench cut in virgin soil little more tha inchen4 inche8 o t ss6 widdee d n whici pean h fragmentary and doubtful traces of a lining of inclined slabs on edge survived at a few points. But this channel runs at the bottom of a built conduit nearly 2 feet wide, the masonry of which rises some 9 inches on the lower or western side and about 6 inches on the east. The built walling supports massive lintelsmeasure5 . No : fee2 s inche6 tfee2 inche2 y t3 b s y b s inches; No. 7, 1 foot 5 inches by 1 foot 10 inches by 1^ inch; and No. 8, 2 feet by 2 feet 8 inches by 4 inches (PL VII, 2). North of section line e draith nF E runnorth-westerla n i s y direction, passing unde parte th r y presumee th wal t a l betweeB d d nortan nA h cornelattee th f ro r chamber to carry on under the floor of A, the slope throughout being designed to ensur a edischarg thaein. t direction. Farther south, however draithe , n runs nearly nort southd han frod an m, linte woul2 l d discharge southward dow e undulationth than ni t direction massive Th . e drailintele th f nso supported one or two layers of thinner slabs, mostly much decayed, which constitute true dth e floo f chambeo r . B r Upo e kerbstonenth s round H6, whic e unusuallhar y low—onl6 y o 4t inches high—lay a fallen slab of thin slatey stone, some 4 feet long, that havy ma e forme e fronbeda th df o t. Ther alsy oema havn i e d beebe na norte th h collapse cornerth t draia f bu ,eo n lintel unde VIIfloos L it r (P r) has distorte formes norts i e plan dslait a d edgTh n y hben o .db e against simila o e partth Tw yr. slabA wal f o ls wit ha join t lengt fee3 f 8 tho inches might have separate fro d e maibe mth e n th dchamber . Thers i e wald just righen a l ghosta n a t f angleo t south-easte theso sth t n eo , while two courses of masonry, though extending only for 2 feet, might serve at once as the rear wall of the bed and the south-west wall of the chamber. Onl verya y thin deposit covere e slab virgid dth an s aree n th soia n i l o fe numbe th chambe t f flint bu o r d potsherd, B an rs s (including partf so restorable vessel d decoratean s d fragments) suffice o defint d e deposith e t a trusa e occupation layer. Below and west of chamber B the midden terrace supporting its outer wall extends, more or less level, over a width of 4 to 6 feet. A few slabs, laid rather casually upo , woulnit d passag a suggess a thed e edi us y t lead anywhere. The terrace is bounded on the west by an irregular foundation 14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

of blocks, faced only on the west and resting on the top of a line of slabs that serv revetmena s ea middee th o t t n terrace. These slabs, fro mfee2 t to 1 foot 8 inches high, are leaning out of the vertical as much as 1 foot agains e terracth t e they support (section e samEF)th t e A .time they form the eastern boundary of the area termed chamber C. On the south and west no boundary to this area survives. On the north a composite wall, buil againsp u t terrace th t e revetment, extends "westwar feet4 r ,dfo t thebu n breaks of describes fa d below (PI. VIII. 1) , The floor of chamber C was not marked by any regular paving nor yet a continuou y b f clayo d . be s Pottery, stone "lids," and, above all, flint scrapers, were abundant throughout the area, but were not concentrated well-definey an t a d horizon "floore Th .accordingl s "i arbitrarn ya y level determine e dbase th onlf surroundino y s b y e articlegth wall d f o san s furniture to be described—a raised hearth, He, a stone tank, Be, and a post-socket e hearthTh . , abouPC , fee4 t t square s demarcatei , y b d four kerbstones, each nearl fooy1 t northere highTh . r reano r slad bha broke tilted nan d supplementes forwarwa d extrn an da y adb kerb only 4 inche sinche7 hig t hbu s wide. extrn Thera s a ewa ker b e soutth f ho front slab too. The hearth was filled with a tough deposit of peat-ash containin ga littl e burnt bon levea comind f 79-3o t ean o l p 5u g above O.D. save for a circular hole, 8 inches deep and 9 .inches wide, near the sout havy h ma ekerb t beeI . n designe o holt d da cooking-pot , sinca e pot-lid, 1\ by §\ inches in diameter, lay close to its mouth (PL VIII, 2). No slab served as a hearth-plate under the ash bed. Immediately south of the hearth and backed up against it was a clay oven restin slaa f n slatebo go y ston esupposee sunth n ki de th floo f o r chamber (Pis. VIII and IX). The oven had an over-all length of 2 feet t righa t e heartanglea widt th d f 2o o ht ^an sh e clafeetTh y . -walls, standing at most 9 inches high and from 4^ to 9^ inches thick, enclosed a perfect square with round corners of 1 foot 3 inches each way. In the middle of the east wall two stones of quadrangular section, 10-^ and 1 0inche5 inche d san sthic3 higd khan respectivelyo t d en ,n o wer t se e form a support for the clay walls. Opposite them in the west side there havy ma e bee nvena t hol inchee4 s wide oves a , r this spac bakee eth d clay \vall was narrowed and reduced in height to 1^- inch. The clay walls were so hard that they could be removed almost intact by sliding them on to thin sheets of galvanised iron, an operation skilfully performed by James Yorstonthes nwa t seeI . n tha slatee th t y sla whicn bo ovee hth n stood had been hollowed out over precisely the area enclosed by the clay walls, so that the slab preserved a perfect negative impression of the plan of the oven's t firsa interio s t wa though rt I (fig . t.2) tha e slad beeth tbha n deliberatel ys possibl i carved t i t e bu ovee ; thadiss e heath nha th f t- o t integrated a few skins of the laminated slab where it was not protected STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 15 discovere e clayth Th y . b f similayo r slabs unde) 2 (PIe floo A , th rf V . o r and under the wall of D has enhanced the probability of the second explanation casy e sla an eth question b i n I .s ver nwa y softd brokan , e into many pieces whe attempn na mads t has I raiswa to e t , . ehoweverit , been reconstructe a concret n do e wholeth bedd e an ove, s restoreni n di e Nationath l Museum. firse Thith t s si pre-Iro discoveree ovee b no nAg t d e Britisinth h n Centrai Isles t South-easterd bu ,an l n Europe large clay oven regulae sar r feature neolithin i s c houses. Behind, i.e. north of the hearth, a thin slab nearly 5 feet long, but

LONG SECTION

Pig. 2. Plan and Sections of Hd and Oven.

broken and tilted forward towards the hearth (PL IX, 1), might be taken for the frontal partition slab of a bed. At the base of this slab there is a single course of walling. If this bed really belongs to chamber C, a low thin slab at right angles to the one just mentioned would form its east end. But, thia sav e slar nth efo b f uprigh o lasnorte th d t t hen mentioneda t , reay an supposere walth o t lenclosurd dbe vanisheds eha . norte alreads Th a h, walC f yo l indicated s compositei , norte th hn I . corner a rough strip of masonry, built up against the east revetment at right angle, abutit o t s agains a stout t sla edgn bo e whic s slippehha d westward t originallbu , y belonge wale f th chambe o l o dt (PID r . VIII. 1) , Another stout sla edgn bo t righea t foregoine angleth o t sparalled gan l to the supposed end of the "bed" may mark an original northward turn in C's wall, which would then have continued westward again behind the "bed" along a line indicated by a single thin upright that broke in half 16 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193812 R .

before the photograph reproduced in PI. IX, 2 was taken. This broken l thaal s slat remainebwa e nortth f ho d wall; t wesi chambe f o ts i C r continuous with the neighbouring chamber D. To produce this continuity, and even to make room for C at all, the south wall of D had to be removed entirely. Moreover, although the floor of chamber D is 2^ feet lower than that of A (section AB), its western end comes up flush with the arable land's surface. Henc westery ean bees ha n n walD ploughe o t l d out. None the less the eastern end of chamber D is exceptionally well preserved and a fireplace, bed, and drain can be recognised. The hearth (PI. X, 1), bounded by high kerbstones, measures 2 feet 10 inches by 2 feet 5 inches. Its original base was formed by a stout slab that fitted the space between the kerbstones exceptionally well. There was a double weste th n , e easo e nort whil additionan th kerth d a t n n han eo bo l kerb- stone, highe t strictlrno thad ynan paralle e originath o t l l onealsd ha o, been added. North-west of the hearth is a recess, now only some 4^ feet lon 3y ^gb feet recesdeepe apparentld Th .sha y been partitione frof dof m chambee th rese slaf a th o tedgen y bo b r , 4|r feet lond 1-g|an feet high, whic actualls hwa y found almost prostrate t markd bu , be recese a th s s sa e reaTh r wal. s distinctl1) i l (P , LX y concave. e Ther th a ga t s pa i e north-west corner where the rear wall should bond into the west end-wall. The east end-wal piera s i l, bonded inte reaoth r wall t hasI . , however, toppled down westward; originall e pieyth r must have been backep u d against the big upright m projecting radially from the chamber wall, but, owing to the collapse, the end of the pier is nearly a foot out of plumb, and only the two basal courses now abut against m. The slab m itself attains a maximum height of 2-j feet and projects nearl feey3 t inward fro basae mth l courschambee th f eo r wall s uppeIt . r edge has been trimmed to a curve and the chamber wall behind it does in fact corbel inwards along just such a curve (section GH). M thus forms the north-west wall of a voussoir-shaped compartment, 1-f feet wide at e mouthth bounded e soutan ,a masonr th y n hb do y pier that projects 2 feet from the curved rear wall, into which it is bonded. This pier is paia on f ero that bound another reces fees2 inche6 t se mout width t ea h and 1 foot 9 inches deep. It is paved with slatey slabs, and its back is formed of a slab on edge, 2 feet long by 1 foot 2 inches high, behind whic maie hth n chambe tracee r b walnortherle n dth ca l n curvini s a y n go recess. Both piers, though standing only 15 inches high, recall the supports oa dresserf . Though they carr o sheln y f now a broke, n slab found between them at 80-3 feet O.D. may be the remnant of such. Yet a third pier projects to the same line as the two just mentioned, 2^ feet from the south corner of the second (PI. X, 2). This third pier abuts against a sla edgen incorporatebo w no , e nortth n hi d s wal f ha chambeo l d an , C r been displaced together with the slab. Between piers 2 and 3 we found a

STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 17

sla edgen bo , h, which, although certainly positiof forceo t pressurdou y nb e from behind, carries on more or less the line of the slab behind the recess between piers 1 and 2. The north side of the pier seems to have been faced wit hslaa edgen bo , whic alss ohwa displaced whe l thre fellnh Al e. piers might be regarded as supports for a dresser of classic form (PI. XI, 1). However e maith , ne chambe walth f o l r seem folloo t s wa continuou s curve as far as it is preserved from the north corner of the bed to the back secone oth f d "dresser" pier. From this point westwar masonre dth s yha been bodily torn out, leavin graggea behind d en slae dth b that forme th s back of the second "dresser" recess. It is therefore impossible to recon- struct the plan of the chamber with any confidence. Had the curvature observed been continued int occupiee arew oth no a y chambeb de w , C r shoul confrontee b d d with something very lik wheel-housee Iroe eth nAg s of the Hebrides and of Howmae—an irregularly circular enclosure divided into compartment radiay b s l piers than I .t cas analoge three th th f eyo piers east of the hearth to the dresser-supports at Skara Brae should not perhap pressede sb . A consideration of the boundary wall itself is not unfavourable to the second interpretation. Judgine sectioth y b gn exposee ancienth y b dt destruction just described the wall consisted entirely of masonry. Over an f choro feec 6 d1 ar roug a t h outer fac preserveds ei 3-go t - 2 ,fee t froe mth inner fact followinebu g muc same hth e curvatur e latterth s ea . Behind bed-recesse th , however outee ,th r face curves inward concavc alonar n ga e to the west and is better built than in the sections where it was convex outwards (PI. XI, 2). This arc is indeed quite plainly designed to serve as the inner face to some structure, either another chamber or, more probably, a wall-cell which might have been entered throug ha hypothetica l door that would have occupied the gap already noted in the north corner of the bed-recess. The whole wall of the chamber rests on midden covered with a thin layer or film of greyish clay such as forms on the midden surface after a day's rain. Solid slab footings such as were noted under the north wall of chamber A were very rare. The outer face was rough and steeply battered. It was in fact embedded in midden. On the north a casing wall, restine samth en go cla e maiy th fil s nma wall d beeha , n addeo t d suppor middee th t n packing (PI. XVI noteds , 1)A e casin. th , g wall seems abuo t t agains norte th t walhs facA' lf besideo doors eit . Within chambe e finath l D roccupatio n levemarkes a blacwa l y b dk layer, rich in sherds, flints, and bones, which slopes from the north-east to south-weste bed-recese th th n I aroun d t les. san bu se ,10 thadth n i n1 heart blace hth k layeyellof o d rw restebe thi n claa o nr n y do o slate y slabs reposing on such clay. In the bed-recess the clay surface reached 79-5 feet above O.D. North and east of the fireplace the floor had been VOL. LXXIII. 2 18 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

repeatedly renewede northernmosth n s I foun. wa dt po t recesg bi a s crushed on an immense stone "pot-lid" embedded in clay at 79-8 feet above O.D., and the level of the floor thus defined was continued beyond the recess's mouth by a slab which projected even over the edge of the hearth's kerb. A limpet box of slatey stone had apparently stood upon this paving slabcarefulle on : y squared upright foo1 , inche8 t s lony b g inche1 1 s high leanins wa , againsp gu e radiath t l slab, m, wit ha secon d upright foo1 , inche4 t s1 inche 1 lon y b gs high, slantin t besidgou t i e among the sherds (PI. IX, 2; the larger upright is seen standing, as found PIn soute i . Th XIIh . reces, 2) alss oswa paved with gently sloping slabs on the same level as those in the north recess (PI. XI, 1). An extra slab may have been inserted at the back of the south recess. Below the slab pavings just described was a bed of yellow clay in the nort d centrahan l ("dresser") recesses 79-7 feet' above O.D. d anothean , r laye e soutf slabth o r n hi s recess. Below this floor e nortcamth n hi e recess another layer of slabs, extending to the hearth's kerb, 79-55 feet above O.D. Corresponding to this bed in the central recess was a "pot- lid," 18 inches in diameter, lying against the hearth's extra kerb, while there were other slabs in the south recess. Finally, in the central and southern recesses a series of slabs 79-3 feet above O.D. seem to represent e originath l floor, sinc e piereth s rest upon them (PI. XII . Ther,1) s ewa e sam th a slat bonde et norte bno a leve s th dhn wa i l intrecesst i ot bu , e flankinth g wall reposed san f yelloo d d upowbe clana y nearl inchey2 s thick in which a narrow channel ran from the back of the recess not covered by the slab towards the drain to be mentioned directly. Beneath the clay bed lay a huge pot-lid, 1 foot 10 inches in diameter (PI. XIII, 1). The layer of slabs 79-3 feet above O.D. comes right up to the edge of the hearth on the east and can be followed also along the north side of the hearth and in front of the bed-recess (PL X, 1). These slabs proved to be the cover-stones of a drain which, starting in front of the central recess e followehearthe b th eas f n o tca ,d paralle e nortth ho t l kerb westward fo totaa r l distanc f 1\o e feet. Thereafte t turni r s abruptly northwards t unde ou chambee n th r ru o t r wall beneat supposee flooe th hf th o r d cell. The drain (PI. XIII formes )i verf do y thin slate yedgen o slab t , se ssom e measuring as much as 2,\ feet in length and 1 foot in height; All these slabs have been deliberately trimmed to fit. In the edge of one a nick had been laboriously chipped out to accommodate a projection of harder stone e proximaonth lnexe edgth tf eo slab . Piece f hazeo s l bark were found adhering to several of these drain slabs, so that the whole channel may be assumed to have been lined with hazel bark. At the bottom of the drain a deposi f brigho t t green clas observeywa d nea wese th r t cornee th f o r hearth. A deposit of the same material was found immediately under the slab floor of the central recess, in an unlined channel, 6 inches deep, STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 19

through normal midden unde e soutth r h recess agaid an , n unde wale th r l in the north corner of chamber C. This deposit, suggesting the effluent fro mbyrea probabld ha , y accumulate channea n di l running underd an , therefore older than norte eved th , centrae an h n, th walC f s lo l D' pie f o r dresser, but could not be connected with the similar deposit in the slab- lined drain under the floor of D. In the corner between chambers A, C, and D is a curious enclosure framee north-easth slaby n b do d h.edgen o s / an , • tSlabd , g e,, an f se d south-easan t claa res n yo t floor between 79-80-d 8an 3 feet above O.D. (PI. XV) e south-wesTh . t boundar e areactualls th awa f yo y formey b d e basetwth of whic, o sh slab d edgen h o s similaan a res g n , o t r floot a r 79-3 feet above O.D. Of these h had apparently once formed the back of the south recess in chamber D. But the big slab, g, had tilted forward on its basal end and carried the whole south end of h with it. After this collapse the gap, thus formed between the end of slab / and the now sloping face of g, had been filled up with very rough walling only one course thick t bondeno d dan int norte bace th o th f hko wal chambef lo agains, rC t which it is backed (PI. XIV). On the north-west the area is bounded only by the wale th lraggef rouno d den d chambe whicD r h had alreads ,a y explained, been torn out over precisely this area. The space thus delimite d beedha n fille witp u d h thre four eo r layers of large thin slabs simila thoso t r e use chamben di r floorse th , n pileo p du sloping midden floor with thin layer f loosso e earth between theme Th . piled slabs have raised the level in the enclosed area to 81 feet above O.D., s surfacit oncy d ma ean have been higher since ther e indicationear f o s the former existence of a still higher layer of slabs. The slabs must have been laid down after the collapse of the upright g (and accordingly after the displacement of h), since one of the slabs actually rested against its sloping face 80-3 feet above O.D. (PI. XV) e slaTh b. platform cannot therefor regardee b e appurtenancn a s da f chambeeo o whict D rh slabh belonged. It may, however, have been connected with chamber A. The platfor vers i p ym to nearl levea n yo l right-hane wit flooe th hf th o r d dbe in tha tt wil i chamberecalle e d b l an , d1) r , tha(PI constructinn i tXV . e gth rea re oute walth f thae wald ro l th f chambefacbe t o l f d beeo e ha nD r adapted just poine nortth f t h o d beewher ha n t i etor n away under ou r platform. It is accordingly suggested that the platform was designed to for cela flooe r annemr o th l fo r failurchambee o xe soutt th Th f h eo . A r end-waU of that chamber's right-hand bed to bond into the rear wall of they connectee nb ma thad be t d wit entrance hth e into s suc wa hcela s a l suggested in the case of the comparable gap in the corner of D's bed- recess, where indication cela f slo were more explicit. e relativTh . ee severa th age f o s l chambers hitherto describee b n ca d tentatively foregoindefinee lighe th th f o tn d i g examination. ChambeD r 20 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193812 R .

was certainl yuppee erecteTh r . coursedC e outebeford th an f rso eA fac e wale oth f l roun havdD e been utilise foro dt innee m th reae rth fac rr efo wall of A's right-hand bed, while the destruction of the adjoining section wale oth f l connectes rounwa dD d wit foundatioe hth annen . a A r o xnfo t At the same time the north wall of chamber C incorporates part of the southernmost pie n chambei r apparentlD r y after that pied slippeha r d •westward, perhap e tim th f uprigh eo t a s collapses g' t . Chambe musA r t •at the same time be at least partially contemporary with chamber B; the two were tima r t leastea fo , , connecte doorwaa y db y that form integran sa l part of each, and both share a common wall on the south-west as on the south-east of A. And this south-western wall, albeit rather shadowy, presuppose e existenc th s e terracth whicr f eo fo e e slab hth s forming the. eastern wal f chambea revetmento l e ar C r . This revetmen s itseli t f anterior to the construction of a chamber in the area C, since that chamber's north wal buils i l againsp u t e revetmentth t . Indeed, sla , thad bg ha t collapsed before the completion of chamber A by its presumed cell, may have belonge revetmene th o dt t rather eithethan i s chambeo i nt r t bu , rD case older than chamber C. On the whole it looks as if chamber D were the oldest and had been more or less abandoned before the completion of chamber A, while chamber'C is the latest of the four. But in any case the frequent recon- structions of the floors show that chambers A and D in particular were occupied for a considerable time, and partly perhaps contemporaneously. An l foual d r structuree samth ed ceramian s e belonon c o t gperiod . Decorated pottery was in fact conspicuously rarer in chamber A than in . ButD r o e Beake , th B sav r efo r sherd sdecoratee froth , mA d pottery collected fro e floomth r deposit l foual f r so chambers belonged exclusively to the class described as A ware at Skara Brae—ornamented with applied e otheth strips n r O hand. , their foundations , res ,case B savtf th eo n ei upon midden deposits accumulated in earlier periods. To obtain some e originsettlemene lighth th n f o o ts t considerable areas were excavated dow virgio nt n soil (PI. I) . The whole are f chambeao post-hole nortC rth f h o "limped ean t box" was thus explored e heartth , oved han n being remove e processth n di . Below the hearth the midden deposit had a total depth of 3 feet, through- t whicou h sherd d flintan s s were founde potterTh . y included sherds decorated with slashed cordons—th wareB Skarf eo a Brae found there only in periods I and II—and a few incised sherds of C ware. No such pottery had been found on the floors of chambers A to D. Subsequently the deep diggings were extended under the floor of chamber D, the hearth and paving of which were removed. Here, too, incised and slashed sherds of B and C wares were found below the floor- hala d f an fee levelso t Tw belo. e floow th f chambe o r -wD re came upon STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 21

a layer of slabs resting directly on virgin soil. But it was only on the extreme margie excavationth f no fee5 2 , t south-wes f A'o t s heartd han 12 feet from tha f chambeo t , thaconstructioy D r an t n cam ligho et t (PI. XVIII, 2). But here we exposed the outer face of a wall, resting on virgin soil only 76-1 feet above O.D d standinan . g som inche8 1 e s high about the same depth beneath the turf. The exploration of the chamber which this wall presumabl postponedye b enclose o undes e fielt th d wa ds ra ha s wercrope W e. fortunately abl reaco et interioe hth equalln a f o r y early structure unde nortd ran chambe f ho . rA It will be recalled that in the natural trough on the northern margin of this year's excavation we found traces of a passage running eastward from betweee dooA th f o r n that t explorechambeotherso ye tw t t d no , dbu an r e doorwaterme Th d Gr.an dF y prope f courseo , is r , paved t nortbu , f ho the paving the porch is floored only with stamped midden about 81 feet above feeO.Do e doort Tw th eas. f ,o t however stea , p leadinche6 p u s s e paveth o dt e passag flooth f o r e which runs eastwar fee5 r t dfo betwee n e chambeth r walls rising from 81- o 81-t 6 8 feet abov. 2) e , O.DVI L .(P Subsequently this leve a toug s carriei y l b h n packindo whicn go e hth •walls of chambers A and F rest. We followed this level up eastward expecting to encounter rock-ledges. Instead we came on a finely built wall, concav weste defined th s goo it an o , et dy b dmasonr e inneth s rya chamberfaca f eo . This "wall was then followed down to a floor of slabs resting on virgin soil 80-35 feet above O.D. (PL XVI, 2). The packed earth floor of the passage was accordingly removed to the same level as far as the east end of the flag pavement (as the walls of A and F rest on the flags, they could not be lifted). Beneath the packed earth three kerbs of a hearth, sunk in virgin soil, were exposed, the fourth kerb lying presumably beneath the wall of chamber F (PL XVII). Finally, acting on a hint from Mr J. S. Richardson, we picked up the back of the same chamber's "wall under the than i waltA f chamber'lo s north corne XVIIIL (P r . 1) , Though known only from these small segments e architecturth , s a e well as the relics show that the new chamber, E, though built under chamber A and destroyed to make room therefor, belonged to essentially e samth e culture e curveTh . d east wals preservewa l f o dc alonar n ga chord 1\ feet. It breaks off abruptly to the south, where the component stone presumabld sha y bee nlaten i remove e r us constructions r dfo t Bu . a segment of the same wall was picked up, vertically under the wall of chambe , somrA e 6J- feet wale fro w norte th breache th mno l th o n hto O . terminates raggedly f continueI . d If feet farthee samth en i r direction the masonry would have abutted against the vertical face of a rock-ledge (PL XVI, 2). This face follows a natural back in the rock, but the Rinyoans may have quarried alon cleavage gth case y wal e planean eth ln I mus. t 22 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

have returned before reaching the rock, but the line of the return cannot be traced acros flooe chambef th s o r pickee b thoug F ry unde p du ma t hri that chamber's wall. Chamber E's heart suns hi virgin ki n s soilsoutherIt . n kerb measures 3 feet in length, the rest are partly covered by the wall of F. Against the south kerpracticalld ban y flush wit pavint a hther i s ewa g slab restinn go virgin soil (PI. XVII). A slab-covered drain runs across the floor of E fro reae mth r waldirectioe th lmaie unden th i nf wale F n o drain f th r o l . t presumablI y serve carro dt y off water seeping dow cleavage nth e th n ei rock behin e chamber'dth s east wall. Para polishe f o t d d an ston e eax sherd rib-ornamentef so d vessels wite on ,hscallopea d rim, were found near e hearthth t againsbu , e easth t t wal collectee w l d only decayed piecef o s bone. Fro e smalmth l sectio uncovereE f no s cleai t i dr that evee th n earliest Rinyoans were already competent builders in stone and had devised such refinement s draina s d sunan s k fireplaces s significani t I . t that no debris fallen from walls cumbered the floor of chamber E. As doubthero n s ei t that such wall existed sha bee d dan n carried higher than at present, it follows that the Rinyoans themselves had removed the subsequenn i e stoneus r fo s t building, presumabl . chambern yF i d an A s This conclusion fortifies the hypotheses advanced on p. 12 to explain the equal absence of stones from the area of chamber A.

E RELICSNOTETH N O S. The acidit e soi t Rinyth a l f yo o 'was unfavourabl e preservatioth o t e n of osseous remains bono N e. implements were recovered this yeard an , only very few teeth and fragments of bone belonging to oxen and sheep (or goats), together with some formless lump spongf so y whalebon coupla d ean e of antlers survivine Th . g relic confinee sar potsherdo t d artifactd san f o s flint and other stones. These suffice to attest a cultural tradition, con- tinuous throughou lone th tg occupatio site strictld th ean f no y paralleo t l that already familiar from Skara Bra Orknen eo y Mainland same th t e A . time significant differences in ceramic decoration and flint work can be detected betwee e severath n l structural phases previoxisly definede W . shall accordingly distinguish three groups of relics recovered respectively e floo r abovth f o o ; r(2)n (1 e n floorC o o ')eth d f chambero san , B , A s chamber D; and (3) below the floors of these chambers. (The last group will represent Rinye firsth t, oI Riny o f II)coursO . e suc ha divisio s ni not itself absolutely exclusive and cannot be applied to all relics recovered. Those floorfoundn o sealer t so no , d unde infilline th r n suchi gt betweebu , n •walls, in drains, or in areas disturbed by agricultural operations, are useless for statistical purposes, and can only be termed "unstratified." Pottery.—With one conspicuous exception the pottery from Rinyo is STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 23

coarse and poorly fired. Large grits are generally conspicuous in the body t clayleasa base n on i te; ther imprinte ear s suggestiv admixturn a f eo e of chopped grass outee tooTh .r surfac s normalli e y covered wit hcoaa t of finer clay. This is in most cases an applied "slip" which tends to peel somn o t eoff thinnebu , merele r b vase y y"mechanicaa s ma l slip," produced rubbiny b cassurfacee o gn th e n doeI slie . th sp effectively mas une kth - evennes bode th f ycoarso so t clae yedu grits. As at Skara Brae, most vases from Rinyo are thick-walled, more than 10 mm. thick; the majority range from 13 to 18 mm. in thickness and contrasn i t som Bu Skaro t t . e aattai mm Brae 5 n2 , Rinyo producen da

Pig . Section3 . typicaf so t RimsPo l . appreciable numbe thif o r n sherds ,vases o les thick. tw s d —thamm an ,0 n1 one from below the top layer of slabs in cell efgh, the other just beneath the clay floor of chamber D—scarcely exceeded 5 mm. in thickness. Such thin vessels are generally rather harder than the normal coarse vases, and naturally do not contain grits -of the same absolute magnitude. But technically they agree with the rest both in the relative coarseness of the fabric and in the method of construction. All pots were f successivbuilo p u t e ring e manne f clath so yn i r familiar from Skara Brae, so that, as there, "false rims" are common. The large bowl fro e northermth s formeo lesnn wa s f reces o D dtha n i ns seven rings, the edges of -which were exposed in the fractures. In thin vessels t groove loweringe e no th th e n sar rd o edge t simplbu , y bevelled. The vessels thus constructed o hav t seed fla l ha emtal bases, often markedly splaye t Skara s da a rimBraee Th s .normall y sho internan wa l bevel, but sometimes are flattened (fig. 3). At Skara Brae it was im- possibl restoro et ecompleta t fro e crumblinepo m th g sherds t RinyA . o 24 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

some sherds were hardened by baking in a sand-bath immediately after extraction, whil e largeth e pot, discovered crushe e northerth n di n recess of D (fig. 4), was treated in situ by a blow-lamp with good results. It has thus been possibl identifo et t leascharacteristiya o tw t c shapes—an open bowl shaped lik inverten ea d truncate t witpo d h a con steeped ean r walls and splayed base (fig. 5). The first shape is characteristic of the Grooved Ware of southern England,1 while the splay-footed pots are significantly like "Horgeneth " vases familiar fro e collectivmth e tombe Seineth f o s- Oise-Marne provinc e Continentth en o 2 . Handle t normano e sar l adjuncts

Pig . Larg4 . e Vessel from Chamber D. (|.) Fig . Splay-foote5 . d Vase from Chambe . A r(I.) of Skara Brae potterysmale on lt horizontall,bu y recovere s piercewa g dlu d from the north corner of chamber C at Binyo (PI. XXII, B, 2). The same chamber produced a miniature vase only 3-8 cm., high. Such miniatures —toys or votives—are common enough in the "Late Neolithic" painted pottery of south-eastern Europe,3 but farther west are hardly known till Late th e Bronze Age. Decoration.—The normal method of ornamenting pots at Binyo as at Skar asurface applo t Bra th s o yt eewa strip blobr so f clayso . Thee yar held in position mainly by the slip, and tend to peel off with it. The width thicknesd an ribe th s f varieso s greatlycase thia t on lookei f i nn i s ;sa stri twif po broker go n reebeed dha n force between di ribo produco nstw t e

a sharp cleft between them. Decorative ribs may be applied not only to

Proc.1 Prehistoric Soe., vol . (1936.ii . 190-1pp ) , fig. 4 .

2 Arch. J., vol. Ixxxviii. (1931) p. 49; Antiquity, vol. viii. (1934) p. 38, fig. 6. 3 Childe, Danube in Prehistory, pp. 77, 101. STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY5 2 .

the exterior, but to the inside just below the rim, or even on the base as t Skara at leas instancea o Brae. n I tw t decoratiob sri combines ni d with

scalloping o1 f the rim (PI. XX, 1—2). Most sherds thus decorated are from . thick isolatemm n i ;6 1 o t d 1 instance1 thicknese sth ever o s 9 nrise1 o st 25 mm. t onlshere bu , yon d with applied. decoratiomm this 9 a s ns a nwa The motives formed by the ribs include wavy lines, zig-zags, bisected triangles, and lozenges. Both the technique and motives are identical wit so-callee hth stylwardA A r t Skarea o a Brae styltheres A A e e. th , of decoration is represented at all levels at Rinyo. Sherds representin t leasa g t five vessels (includin e bowth g l shown restored in PI. XXI, B) have been decorated with ribs enhanced by slashing with finger-nail jaby b sr o sfro mpointea d implemen wartB likt e ea eth Skara Brae. Fou thesf ro e sherds, including PI. XXI , wer,B e found sealed beneat flooe h th chambeaccordinglf d o r an , A r ro D, yC , belon Rinyoo gt . .I To the same period belongs the sherd shown in PI. XXII, B, 7, on which the rib takes the form of a ledge, the upper surface of which is relieved by seriea almosf o s t vertical jabs fro msharp-pointea d implemente th t Bu . same styl f decoratioo e s seeni n alon e thickenea smalgth f t o po l m dri (9 mm. thick and perhaps 16 cm. in diameter) found in chamber A (PI. XXII, B, 1). True "grooved" ornament, equivalent to style C at Skara Brae, formed by shallow incisions and punctuations in the slip, is represented by a com- paratively small number of relatively thin sherds about 10 mm. thick, all found close to virgin soil under the floors of chambers C and D. The design on PI. XXII, A, 4—5 is strikingly like that on a sherd of Grooved Ware from the submerged Essex coast,2 and recalls that on a pot of kindred fabric fro segmentee mth d cis Univaf o t Nortn li h Uist.3 Exceptional Sherds.—From belo e slab wunderlyind th an s g clay under cell efgh came the sherd shown in PI. XXII, B, 6, perhaps part of the same pot as PL XXII, B, 7. It is decorated with two rows of imprints made with a blunt four-toothed comb, some 6 mm. long. Though the comb here employed is shorter, the effect resembles that of the "false maggot" im- pressions on early Finnish Kammkeramik and on English Peterborough

ware.5 4 PI. XXI, 1 shows a tumbler-shaped vessel of rather hard clay with a mechanical slip on the outside, found in chamber B. It is decorated with sharp incisions more reminiscen Unstaf o t n ware tha groovef no d ware. objece Th t show recoveres fign wa ni 6 . d betwee innee ncasind th an r g walls round chamber D. It seems part of the ring-shaped base of a vessel, walle th f whico s h have broke a n e centre bas s awayth th ewa f n eo I . circular hole e edgeth , f whico s h have been carefully finishe f beforof d e

1 Childe, Skara Brae, pi. xlvii . 3 . 2 Proc. Prehistoric Soc., vol . pi.ii . xxxix. 12 . Ibid., vol pi. ..iv lix. Archceologica,a Ad I (1930). if 5 Arch.16 , , volJ. . Ixxxviii . 117p . . 3 4 5 26 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

firing. The annular space between the hole and the walls was decorated internally with triangles filled with punctuations. The most important single vase from Rinyo is the Beaker (fig. 7), found by James Yorston in the doorway of chamber A some 6 inches above the paving slabs, but closely juxta- pose typicaa o t d l warsherA f eo d with scalloped rim. Admittedly it is the sort of vase that might have been made by the last surviving descendant oboat-loafa Beakef do r folk strande islande th n do . Pig . Potter6 . y object. ({. Its form is frankly debased; the sparsely scattered rouletted lines preserve only a blurred reminiscence of the handsome ribbon chevrons illustrated r instance fo ,e Beake th y b , r from Ello Aberdeenn ni - shire. Beakee Eveth , n so piecr a stands pottinf a e o t sou r superio gfa o t r the standard local products. Though the walls are 6 mm. thick and the body clay contains conspicuous grits surface ,th coveres ei d wit hfira d man smooth slip; the vessel is hard-fired and almost black; the decoration is executed wite square-tootheth h d comb-stamp regularly employey b d Beaker folk. In other words, the vase is no local imitation, but an authentic produc e Beaketh f o t r school. Flint Implements.-—Flint was quite extensively used at Rinyo in con- trast to Skara Brae. In 1938 no less than 250 implements, together with 80 split pebbles, wer- re e materiaw coveredra e Th l . was derived from pebbles e founar suc n abuns i da h - beachesdance th n eo . Natur- ally the small size and poor quality of most of these pebbles has cramped the flint- knapper's style and affected the forms which he could produce n additionI . , pol- ished flint axes were re-used as cores; two unstratified implement burna d stan flake found below the floor of Fig. 7. Fragments of Beaker. chamber C represent the re- mains of such axes. Finally, the only arrow-head discovered, in the drain of chamber D, had been rechipped to make a scraper (fig. 8, 1). Mis . LaidleB s studies ha r e productth d s wit followine hth g results:—By e commonesfath r t finished implements were scrapers accountin5 17 r gfo e totaloth f . There wer unworke1 6 e d flakes. long4 cm 1 ,6 , froo t m2 flakes trimmed along one edge and 3 thick flakes trimmed on two edges. STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 27

The distribution of the several types is disclosed by the following table:—

Scrapers. "Points." Trimmed Prisms. Flakes. Total. Thumb- Duck- Blades. nail. Keeled. billed. Misc.

Rinyo Chambers 29 0 2 5 0 0 0 6 42 II A-C ChambeD r 11 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 . 16 Rinyo Below 4 3 6 14 2 7 3 11 50 I A, C, and D

Total 44 5 8 20 2 8 " 3 18 108 Unstratifled 67 9 4 18 0 7 0 32 137

Grand total 111 14 12 38 2 15 3 50 245

The sample seems large enough to justify the inferences that thumb-nail scrapers were preferred in Rinyo II to duck-billed and other types popular previoue inth s phase thad an , t trimmed blade d prismsan s ceasee b o dt made after Rinyo I. A polished flint knife was found in the north corner of chamber A at floor-level mads i t I e . fro mtabulaa r pebbles shapit doubtles s d eha an , s been determine pebblee th size f th eo y . db Non lese et th resemblesi e sth polished knives from Scottish chambered cairns (Unstan, Canister round, Ormiegill Tormored an , ) more closely tha e discoidanth l ones attributed by Dr Clark1 to the Peterborough-Beaker phase in England. Axes were not made of flint, but of fine-grained polished stones. Three specimens were collected—one unstratifled, one from chamber A above the paving against the west wall between the door and the right-hand bed, and the third near the hearth of chamber E. The latter, dated to Rinyo I, was broken s madi t f finelI o e. y grained sandston r sando e y flag, probably local. Part of the rounded butt-end of a hammer-axe or mace-head of volcanic stone turne p beforu d e excavation startee doorwath n i df o y chamber G. Rough club-like implements of slate or sandstone were found, typicale ar w fe . t Attentiobu drawe b y peg-liko nt nma e piece f finelo s y laminated sandstone found below the floor of D (PI. XXIII, C, 1), a fragment •with a hole hammered out in it found high up in the infilling outside the east wall of chamber A. Stone balls were represented by two specimens, both from D. Though their surfaces have been carefully rounded and smoothed, they are less

1 Proc. Prehist. Soc. East Anglia, ff0 .5 . volpp . .vi 28 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193812 R .

symmetrical tha comparable nth e objects from Skara Brae. Both seemo t be made of camptonite (PI. XXIII, A).

Fig. 8. Types of Flint Implements: (1) Arrow-head re-used as scraper; (2) Flat thumb scraper; (3) Steep scraper; (4) Duck-bill scraper; (5) Thumb (steep) scraper; (6) Point; (7) Large rough scraper; (8) Bough knife (?); (9) Butt end of knife?; (10) Awl(?); (11) Polished discoidal flint knife; (12) Prismatic chip with blunt end (knife?). Mortars and Paint-Pots.—A small stone mortar with a perfectly circular basin, some 11 cm. in diameter hollowed.out in a roughly cubical block of STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY9 2 .

sandstone, PI. XXIII, B, was discovered just north of the slabs behind He between the slab and the shallow wall-stump. It may therefore belong unfinishen A eithe . D chambeo t rdo t paint-potr o C r , hammeren i t dou n irregulaa r bloc f sandstoneko s include e infillin wa ,e pieth th n rdi f o g between bed-recese slath bd man chambef so . rD Pot-Lids.—Roughly chipped discs of slatey stone of all sizes were very common all over the site. The largest, 56 cm. (22 inches) in diameter, constitute e originadth norte l flooth f ho r reces chamben si othe d an , r D r large discs were included among the paving slabs of the same chamber. doubtee b y ma d t whetheI r they ever serve coveo dt othee rth potsn r O . hand, the name is surely justified in the case of the little disc, 17 to 18-5 cm. across, lying besid hole eth Hn ei e whic wely hlma have serve coveo dt a r t holetha e stood connection th I po ha t. n d i n wit disce oughhe th sw o t mention the excellent squaring of the "slates" that form the sides of the tanks• and post-holes. . wideAcm ,pebble3 wit. lond cm ghan 3 ,bot h ends rubbed smooty hb burnishera us s ea passage founs th wa ,n di e between chamber t Fd a an sA the level of the slab paving of Rinyo II (PL XXIII, C, 2). . Pieces of pumice-stone, grooved presumably by use for sharpening bone points, were foun n greai d t number l levelsal t a s. They resemble th e grooved pumice-stones fro takee mb e s prooy Jarlshofna th f ma o f d an , extensiv f bono e e eus pin awld san s whic e soi Rinyf hth o l s consumeoha d (se XXIIIL e. P 3) , C , Lump polishef so striated dan d haematite were foun chambern di d an sA chipd Dan , s from such also beneat floore deposia hth n i s Periof o t . dI Ove e are th f rchambe o at chieflbu , n superficiaD i yr l layers where disturbanc possibles ei collectee w , d some small lump slag-likf so e material. A. Desce Nationa H specimeth . f C ho r s senD l no Physicawa t t l Labora- tories, "who kindly reports as follows:— The material is certainly not a metallurgical slag. It consists of fine grain sanf so d cemented togethe smala y rb l quantit amoun e clayf yo Th . t of iron is very small indeed and there is a trace of manganese; there is no coppe r nickelo r . The fuel normally burned at Rinyo, as at Skara Brae, was peat, yield- ing vast quantities of reddish ash. But small pieces of charcoal—twigs rather than branches—of alder wood were found in the hearth of chamber A. Charcoal of the same wood and also of birch was'found in clay under chamber D. In damp clay under the floor of that chamber we recovered some bladder e Royath f f seaweedo s o lr BotaniOr . Y ,. identifiecM r M y db Gardens, Edinburgh, as Ascophyllum nodosum. Economy Date.—d an The foregoing summary will suffic discloso t e e eth remarkably accurate agreemen e relics e architecturth th s f wel a o ,ts a l e of Rinyo, with those of Skara Brae. The much more extensive use of 30 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

e employmenth d flinan t f pumico t e mus e attributeb t o locat d l cir- cumstance o geologicat e du s l condition d oceaan s n currents. Hencn i e estimating the economic status of the community established at Rihyo the evidence from Skara Brasafeln ca ee use b yo supplemen t d e datth t a sitew .ne e Stock-breedinth t collectea r fa o ds g must have providee dth basis of life, and milk, beef (or rather veal), and mutton were doubtless the staple foods. Hunting weapons and fishing tackle are conspicuously absent. The inland location of the site further emphasises the insignificance of fishing as an economic activity. Still, at least two pieces of stag's antlers were recovered as well as a good deal of whalebone. The latter might, however, have been obtained from stranded whales eved e an ,nth antlers may have been dropped. r agriculturFo e Rinyo produced even less evidence than Skara Brae. Indeed the absence of any trace of sickle gloss from such a large sample of flint blades take n conjunctioni n wit lace hth f saddlk o e querns must be admitte valis da d evidence agains e practicth t agriculturf eo thesy eb e pastoralists. Yet despite their pastoralism they "were strictly sedentary, remainin e samth t ega sheltered centr thein ei r pastures continuouslr yfo longea r perio r beefa dno s thaatteste s nha accumulatey db d depositr sfo othey an r group Britain si n befor Iroe eth n Age. Judgine verth yy gb numerou s e scraperbonth ed pointan s s which must have been sharpene groover ou n do d pumice-stones, skins serves da garments relio N c. suggestiv textila f o e e industr s beeyha n recovered. The community was Neolithic, not only in the formal sense that polished stone axes were made and used, but also economically inasmuch as the grou s self-sufficingpwa . Riny s notowa , however, entirelf froof m t ycu contact with other groups inasmuch as a Beaker found its way thither. The Beake rpossibilit e giveth s u s f assigninyo grelativa ee datth o et culture represented t Rinya Skard oan a Brae. However lat degenerate eth e e absolutelyBeakeb y ma r s presencit , e means' thae latesth t t phasf o e occupation at Rinyo falls within the Beaker period in North Scotland though, it need hardly be added, the Beaker period here need not, and probably does not, coincide wit e samhth e perio n southeri d n England. The polished flint knife and the hammer-butt point vaguely to the same conclusion, since both type Englann si d belong more Beake th lesr eo o st r n Scotlani phase t Bu .d the includee yar furniture th n i d f collectivo e e tombs foundatione th , whicf o s baco hg pre-Beakeo kt r times. At Rinyo the Beaker and the polished knife were attributable to the latest occupatio chambef oldee no Th r . phasesA r , represente chamben di r termee b n belod dca Dan , "pre-Beakerwit e vas s lonth "a e s ga show n here remains the first and only Beaker from Orkney. Thus, if Beakers mark the beginning of the Bronze Age, our Phase I can be termed Neo- lithic from the standpoint of relative chronology. Still this term must STONE-AGE SETTLEMENT, ROUSAY, ORKNEY. 31 takee b s t implyinna no g anything abou e relationth t , chronologicar o l otherwise, of Rinyo and Skara Brae to the chambered cairns. Ther a roun s i e d stalled cairn less tha nquartea mila f eo r nortf o h Rinyo on the brae above it and a long cairn of the same type in the valley close to Bigland Farm. But no Windmill Hill nor Unstan pottery nor leaf-shaped arrow-heads typica grave th f eo l goods from chambered cairns hav t beeeye n foun chamberey t Rinydt a Skara an r s oano ha Braer d No . cairn, save Quoyness on Sanday, been found furnished with pottery or other unmistakable relics of the kind found in our villages. The re-used arrow-head from the drain of chamber D indeed implies that the chamber was occupied afte t leasa "Neolithice r on t " weapo beed nha n madd ean lost on Rousay. But to define the foundation of the site more closely we must turn to southern England. In 1936 Stuart Piggott1 very acutely recognised the connection between Skara Brae pottere Grooveth d yan d War f Easeo t engages Arigliwa e ah d n denningi r excavationOu . s have confirme s thesihi dy producinb s g further parallels to East Anglian shapes and motives. Now in southern England Grooved War associates ei d mor r leseo s with Beake d Peteran r - borough wares n EsseI . particulan xi land ol d t i occur rn surfaca n o s e from which Windmill Hill and Peterborough pottery and sherds of B, but not of A, Beakers have been collected too. It is inferred that this tract "was submerged after the advent of B Beaker folk, but before A Beaker folk reached Essex.2 Hence, without postulatin gmigratioa herdsmef no n from East Angli Orkneyo at t remaini , s unlikely that Riny Skarr oo a Brae was founded before the first Beaker folk reached England. On a short chronology, placing that event about 1800 B.C., the occupation of our site might be placed somewhere in the four centuries preceding 1400 B.C. But even that date mus acceptee b t d only with extreme reserve until more connected remains be discovered to fill the many centuries preceding the beginning of the local Iron Age with the broch culture, hardly earlier than 200 B.C. and quite possibly later. Perhaps the Skara Brae-Rinyo culture descendants oit r dominane th s e wilb lo t turt t elemennou than i t t period,. Survival e ceramith f o s c tradition, represente e thith n y plaib d n vases from Rinyo Phase II, may be expected even in "the Early Iron Age" potter f Orkneyyo . In conclusion we wish again to express our appreciation of the work of Messrs Flett, Sutherland, and Yorston in uncovering the structures d rescuinan e relicsth g . Durin e gseaso th par f o nt . MessrKB . . R s Stevenson and R. Milne assisted in supervising operations and restoring vasesexcellen e expere Th th sympatheti d .o t an t e t plandu e sar c labours r Davi. DeschoM H f . r dC . M Orrr ,Wilson Y F.R.S.D d . ,an o M T r .M , G. V. Wilson, we are indebted for the solution of technical questions. 1 Proc. Prehistoric Soc., vol. ii. p. 201. 2 Ibid., p. 210.