Article December 25, 1995 Issue

Reflections at Skara Brae

Cyril Dutton

SKARA BRAE is a small prehistoric settlement in the Orkney Isles, to the north of Scotland. Built before the Pyramids of Egypt or Stonehenge, it comprises a group of stone houses. They even had water closets. It is arguably the finest example of a Stone Age village to be seen anywhere in Europe.

Located on the seacoast in a sheltered bay, the villagers must have considered fishing of prime importance. They also grew wheat for bread. And they had enough time to spare to build a community center—a huge circle of stones 104 meters across.

I pondered: Did they ever experience boom or recession? Were they never unemployed? We are told by experts that these early small communities could catch ample fish in just a few hours of work. They had not thought of an eight-hour day! Nor did they invent government benefits.

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