Isbister - X-ray

3D Model

The Tomb of the Eagles, or Isbister chambered cairn, South Ronaldsay, Orkney.

The survey included the use of laser scanning and 3d photogrammetry undertaken to produce a detailed measured survey. Also known as the Tomb of the Eagles the Neolithic chambered tomb was discovered by Ronald Simison, a local farmer, when digging flagstones in 1958. In total,16,000 human bones originating from at least 324 individuals were found, however no intact skeletons were discovered. Mixed with the human bones were talons and bones from eight to 20 birds including White Tailed Sea Eagles. Some believed that the eagle was a totem animal for the individuals entombed here but that interpretation was subsequently challenged by new dating techniques which revealed the eagles died c. 2450–2050 BC, up to 1,000 years after the building of the tomb. This confirms growing evidence from other sites that the neolithic tombs of Orkney remained in use for many generations.