Rennibister Earth House

Rennibister Earth House lies beneath the yard of a working farm near Kirkwall. It is a souterrain of about 400 BC: a stone-lined passage some seven metres long ending in a small chamber whose roof rests on single upright stones. When it was found in 1926 the chamber floor held the disarticulated and carefully arranged bones of about 18 people, six adults and perhaps a dozen children. The bones date from centuries after the passage was built, and Rennibister is the only earth house where human remains have ever been found; how and why they came to be here is still unknown. The only other find was an ox shoulder blade used as a spade. The low mound around it probably covers a long-lived prehistoric settlement. Reviewers say to follow the signs from the small parking area on the farm track, respect the working farmyard, take care on the slippery ladder down through the hatch, and expect room for only four or five people at a time.