Well-Preserved Burial Cist Discovered on Scottish Island

ORKNEY, SCOTLAND—The Scotsman reports that a well-preserved skeleton has been discovered in a tightly constructed stone burial cist about a half mile from the Neolithic site of Skara Brae on the island of Orkney. The body was positioned on its right-hand side before it was covered with a heavy stone slab. “The size and scale of the cist would suggest it is a late Neolithic or early Bronze Age burial,” said Martin Cook of AOC Archaeology. “We think the skeleton is buried by itself and not part of a cemetery.” The grave may therefore be later than the Skara Brae settlement, which was occupied from about 3180 to 2500 B.C. The team members will continue to excavate the skeleton and look for any pottery or animal bones that may have been placed in the grave. To read more about archaeology on Orkney, go to "Neolithic Europe's Remote Heart."