Stacked stone chambers on Rousay create one of Orkney’s more unusual Neolithic tomb plans. Taversoe Tuick is a Neolithic burial cairn, a stone burial mound, with upper and lower chambers plus a small third chamber downhill.
The monument’s puzzle is architectural as much as funerary. The pack notes that the upper and lower chambers were originally separate, that the reason for stacking them is unknown, and that excavation found skeletons, cremated bone, bowls, stone tools, a mace-head, an arrowhead, scrapers, and shale beads.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
Taversoe Tuick is thought to date from between 4000 and 2500 BCE.
The monument includes a rare double-tiered chamber arrangement.
The upper chamber is approached by a passageway, while the lower subterranean chamber can now be reached by a modern ladder.
The chambers were originally separate, and the reason for stacking them is unknown.
A third miniature chamber lies slightly downhill and is linked by a small channel.
Excavations in 1898 uncovered part of the upper chamber and gained access to the intact lower chamber.
The site was fully excavated in 1937, when the upper chamber was covered with a domed roof.
Finds included skeletons, cremated bone, bowls, a mace-head, a flint arrowhead, scrapers, and shale disc beads.
What to look for
-
Double-tiered chambers
Upper and lower chambers make the monument unusual.
-
Miniature chamber
A small third chamber lies downhill, linked by a small channel.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 59.1314°N · 3.0049°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Moderate walking
Opening & admission
The source pack does not provide reliable current admission details; verify before travelling.
- The pack says the monument and chambers are open to the public, with the lower chamber now reached by ladder.
Nearby places
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Settlement on the site began sometime between 500 and 200 BC, when an Iron Age community raised a stone broch tower — once probably around 10 metre…
- Near Evie
- 141 metres from car park
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Questions people ask
- What is Taversoe Tuick?
- It is a Neolithic burial cairn on Rousay with an unusual double-tiered chamber plan.
- Why is it unusual?
- The pack says it has upper and lower chambers that were originally separate, plus a small third chamber downhill.
- What was found there?
- Excavations found skeletons, cremated bone, bowls, stone tools, a mace-head, an arrowhead, scrapers, and shale beads.
- Is it open to the public?
- The source pack says the monument and chambers are open to the public.
Sources
- Wikipedia article
- Source pack: Taversöe Tuick
Explore more: Tomb or burial places · Prehistoric · Orkney Islands
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