Tomb of the Eagles:The Treasure of the Orkneys©
by Tira Brandon-Evans

     In 1958 on the Island of South Ronaldsay in the Orkneys a wonderful discovery was made. Mr. Ronald Simison decided to investigate a mound on his farm where he had previously noticed some flagstones uncovered by the elements. There, overlooking the cliffs and the sea, he discovered within a very few minutes the stones of an ancient wall. Continuing to dig Simison soon found wonderful artifacts: axe heads, polished mace heads and a small jet button. Then he found the lintel of a doorway. After further excavation Ronald Simison was able to peer into the interior of a pre-historic chamber. Thirty skulls were revealed by the flickering flame of his cigarette lighter. Mr. Simison had discovered the Tomb of the Eagles but it was to be more than twenty years before this important burial mound would be fully excavated and its secrets revealed to our world.
     Eventually 342 skeletons were excavated from the Tomb of the Eagles. The Tomb of the Eagles is around ten feet high, being approximately 135 feet long and about 50 feet wide. The stalled chamber within the grassy mound is partly excavated. The skeletons within the tomb consist of bones separated into distinct groups. The skulls are collected together, as are the long bones and the smaller bones indicating that the bodies of the dead were excarnated or exposed to the elements prior to being entombed. This method of handling the remains of the dead is called excarnation The Tomb of the Eagles appears to have been a collective tomb for the entire Neolithic community at South Ronaldsay. The ages of the skeletons vary from very young to mature adult and there does not appear to be any special status awarded to any of the remains in the tomb.
     The types of bones in the tomb indicate that all members of the population were entitled to be burial in the tomb. This implies these ancient Orcadians lived in a society that was not based on a dominator model but, rather, that everyone was of equal status and value in the community. The ages of the individuals were:

Outside the Tomb of the Eagles
Photo From Ancient Sites Directory

Main chamber of
the Tomb of the Eagles
Photo From Ancient Sites Directory

     In addition to the human remains the bones of at least eight white tailed eagles and other birds of prey were discovered in tomb, which is how it acquired it name, Tomb of the Eagles. The eagle bones were found in the cairn's foundation but also beside the human remains. This appears to indicate that the eagles were of great significance to these Neolithic Orcadians.
     Speculation as to the significance of the bones is varied. Some authorities feel that perhaps the sea-eagle was the totem of this forgotten tribe. Others think that the eagles were seen as psychopomps. If the bodies were exposed to the elements prior to being gathered and arranged in the tomb then it is very possible that the flesh was removed by eagles and other birds, dogs and pigs. These three classes of animals have long been regarded as the escorts of the souls of the dead because of their close association with the excarnation process. In the cairn at Cuween Hill in Firth twenty-four dogs' skulls were interred, perhaps for the same reasons the eagles were buried in the Isbister cairn.
     Construction on the Tomb of the Eagles was begun around 3000 BCE. The first phase of the tomb building was followed about 150 years later by a second period of construction in which the cairn was enlarged. There is a main chamber of about three and one-half meters in height which is divided into stalled compartments similar to the Orkney-Cromarty cairns. The walls are of flagstone slabs set upright. At each end of the main chamber is a low compartment. Originally there was a stone shelf across each compartment. Only one compartment has survived the ages. It was from this remaining shelved chamber that the bones were excavated. In addition to the shelved chambers there cells which are similar to those found in Maeshowe.
     The human remains at Ibister are not neatly arranged into complete skeletons but, in the way typical of other Neolithic sites of this sort, are mixed together without any distinction except that special attention is paid to some of the skulls. The walls of the Tomb of the Eagles are lined with skulls. Near each is a deposit of long bones, such as those found in legs and arms, and smaller bones. At the western end of the main chamber two cells contained several dozen skulls and other bones. In the shelved compartment in the south of the cairn there are only bones but no skulls. There are over 16,000 bones in the Tomb of the Eagles.
     Large numbers of animal bones were also unearthed during the dig. Many were from lambs and these have led to speculation that feasts were a part of the funeral rites celebrated at the tomb. The lamb remains were inside the cairn but the numbers of calf bones outside the tomb indicate that the beasts were sacrificed there. The calf sacrifices may not have been a part of the regular funeral ceremonies and there is speculation that the Tomb of the Eagles was a place of ritual. Perhaps the calves were sacrificed in honour of the ancestors in much the same way as some folks of the Orient place meals on the graves and/or in the shrines of their ancestors. This feeding the spirits of the ancestors is also practiced in Mexico during the Feast of the Dead and vestiges of such customs linger in Brittany where feasts for the dead are held in the homes, rather than in graveyards.

References:

www.ehabitat.demon.co.uk/scotland/ibister1.html

www.garioch.demon.co.uk

www.orkneyjar.com/history/isbister/index.html

Tira Brandon-Evans is the Founder and Moderator of the Society of Celtic Shamans and Editor/Publisher of Earthsongs:The Journal of the Society of Celtic Shamans. She is the author of the Faery Shamans Apprenticeship Program, a teacher, healer and environmental activist. (Tomb of the Eagles:The Treasure of the Orkneys by Tira Brandon-Evans, copyright © 2000 Tira Brandon-Evans. All Rights Reserved.)

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