A team from ORCA is heading to South Ronaldsay for the next three weeks to investigate the nature of the supposed “hornworks” at either end of the Isbister Neolithic stalled cairn, better known as the “Tomb of the Eagles”.
During excavations of the site, features were identified at both the northern and southern ends of the cairn and interpreted as hornworks, projecting “horns” flanking the entrance, similar to those seen in the “horned cairn” classification.
In 1989, however, it was suggested that the southern hornwork might not be man-made at all, but a natural feature into which the cairn had been built.
Excavations begin on Monday, August 24, and run until Friday, September 11.
The project, commissioned by the South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust, aims to answer a number of outstanding questions about the monument. Chief among these is the true nature of the southern hornwork, as well as the D-shaped wall at the rear of the cairn. The wall appears to be a later addition, and any dating evidence recovered could help establish its purpose and how it related to the stalled cairn.
The earliest radiocarbon dates from the human bone suggest the Isbister Cairn was in use from around 3400BC. Partially cut into rock, it, like Unstan in Stenness, is considered to be a hybrid, containing the stalled compartments of the Orkney-Cromarty cairns and three side cells of the Maeshowe-type.
The structure was found by the landowner Ronald Simison in 1958, who had noticed what appeared to be a section of exposed walling. He went on to excavate the chamber and its contents. It went on to become a successful family-run visitor attraction and one of Orkney’s best-known archaeological sites. It closed to visitors in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and did not reopen afterwards.
The Tomb of the Eagles welcomed visitors again in 2025, following a successful community campaign that saw the South Ronaldsay community purchase the site and visitor centre.
