Maeshowe
CountryUK (Scotland)
Date2800 BC
Notable Feature7.3 m high
RegionOrkney
About Maeshowe
A chambered cairn aligned to the winter solstice. Vikings broke in and left runic graffiti in the 12th century. The largest collection of runes outside Scandinavia. One graffito reads: Ingigerth is the most beautiful of all women.
Related Ruins
Ring of Brodgar
A perfect stone circle in a dramatic landscape. Originally 60 stones, 27 survive. Surrounded by a ro...
Skara Brae
The best-preserved Neolithic village in Europe. Revealed by a storm in 1850. The houses had stone be...
Callanish Stones
A cruciform stone circle on the Isle of Lewis. 49 stones remain. Aligned to the moon at its major st...