5000 year-old temple in Orkney

[norseman]

A "special" as part of the series "A History of Ancient Britain" is on BBC2 at 9pm tonight.
Only recently discovered, a Neolithic temple. More or less contemporary with Stonehenge.

[norseman]

The only word I can use is "Incredible" - imagine a temple complex the size of five football pitches surrounded by a 3-metre high wall. Inside the compound are many temples of subtlely different shapes containing many portals. The temples, all stone built including the roofs in a sort-of pyramidal shape, built almost a 1000 years before the Egyptian pyramids and 500 years before Stonehenge AND evidence that there was a connection between the builders of this complex and Stonehenge. So 5000 years ago, there was a formal "religion" in Britain, involving a sophisticated ritual process of passing between Realms of Being.
Oddly familiar place ! Is my path as old as that ? WOW !

I've recorded this programme and look forward to watching it.When I was on the Orkney Islands years ago we were given a guided tour of a barrow/burial mound,it was fascinating and went back around 4000 years.

The Vikings had plundered it around 1000+ years ago and it was amazing to think the barrow was already 3000 or so years old even then!!

What was also amazing was the graffiti scratched on the walls by the raiding Vikings.'Erik Bloodaxe woz ere' lol.No I made that one up,but there was mention of an attractive Viking lady and some suggestive comments made by the warriors.

Can't wait to watch tonight's documentary.

Originally Posted by norseman

The only word I can use is "Incredible" - imagine a temple complex the size of five football pitches surrounded by a 3-metre high wall. Inside the compound are many temples of subtlely different shapes containing many portals. The temples, all stone built including the roofs in a sort-of pyramidal shape, built almost a 1000 years before the Egyptian pyramids and 500 years before Stonehenge AND evidence that there was a connection between the builders of this complex and Stonehenge. So 5000 years ago, there was a formal "religion" in Britain, involving a sophisticated ritual process of passing between Realms of Being.
Oddly familiar place ! Is my path as old as that ? WOW !

Hey norseman,

Thanks for sharing this, it has struck a cord in me, not sure why but it has..???? pondering...????

[norseman]

One thing they did mention is that all the temples were levelled after a thousand years and one humungous temple built to a new design. They worked out that this happened end of Neolithic/beginnings of Bronze Age - deduced there was a "new" philosophy.
You can rave on about the Egyptians but these guys were much more "cunning" in working stone !
One remark made is that it was always assumed that British spirituality was centred on Stonehenge but it appears that Orkney was the true centre of this which then spread south.

no! i missed it! can anyone tell wish series and episode?
I love that show!

I would have liked to have seen this but it seems I am 2 months late *sigh*

However the good old BBC are great at repeating shows so there may yet be hope :-)

[norseman]

Check on Amazon - they usually sell BBC productions