Maeshowe (also called Maes Howe or Orkahaugr in Old Norse) is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave located on Mainland Orkney, Scotland. It was likely built around 2800 BC. In Scottish archaeology, it is named after the Maeshowe type of chambered cairn, a structure found only in Orkney.
Maeshowe is an important example of Neolithic craftsmanship. Archaeologist Stuart Piggott described it as "a superlative monument that by its originality of execution is lifted out of its class into a unique position." Maeshowe is a scheduled monument and part of the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney," a group of sites that includes Skara Brae. This group was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
Name and etymology
The monument now called Maeshowe was first mentioned in Old Norse sources as Orkahaugr. This name appears in the medieval Orkneyinga saga. In Old Norse, the word haugr means "mound" or "burial mound," while Orka may refer to a person's name or the place called Orkney. Therefore, the name is usually understood to mean "Ork's mound" or "the mound of Orkney."
The modern name Maeshowe came later from Scots language elements. The second part of the name, howe, comes from Old Norse haugr, which also means "mound." The first part, Maes, is less clear and may be a later change of the earlier Norse name.
Earlier historians often wrote the name as Maes Howe or Maes-howe, following older English spelling rules.
Some scholars have suggested that the first part of the name may come from Scottish Gaelic. A place-name expert named Hugh Marwick thought it might come from the Gaelic word mas, meaning "buttock" or a rounded hill, describing the shape of the mound. However, Celtic place names are rare in the Northern Isles, and Marwick considered this idea uncertain.
Other theories have linked the first part of the name to the Welsh word maes, meaning "field" or "open area." However, this connection is also seen as unlikely.
Like many ancient monuments in Britain, the tomb itself is much older than the name used for it today. The chambered cairn was built around 2800 BCE, thousands of years before Norse people settled in Orkney.
Design and construction
Maeshowe is one of the largest stone tombs in Orkney. The grass-covered mound that surrounds the tomb is about 35 metres (115 feet) wide and 7.3 metres (24 feet) tall. A ditch runs around the base of the mound, located about 15 to 21 metres (49 to 69 feet) away from the mound and up to 14 metres (46 feet) wide.
Underneath the mound is a carefully built stone structure made of a passage and a central chamber. Large slabs of local flagstone were used to build this structure. Some of these slabs weigh as much as 30 tons. The monument is designed so that sunlight enters the passage during the winter solstice and reaches the back wall of the central chamber. A similar effect happens at Newgrange, another ancient tomb where sunlight also enters the interior during the winter solstice.
The entrance passage is about 11 metres (36 feet) long and leads to a central chamber that is almost square, with each side measuring about 4.6 metres (15 feet). Today, the chamber stands about 3.8 metres (12 feet) high, matching the height of the remaining original stones. The chamber now has a modern roof shaped like a dome, though the original roof may have been taller, reaching about 4.6 metres (15 feet) or more.
The passage itself is very low, about 0.91 metres (3 feet) high, so visitors must bend or crawl to move through it before entering the taller central chamber. Inside, the walls are made of large flat stone slabs that extend nearly the full length of each wall. In each corner, large angled supports rise upward toward the top. At a height of about 0.91 metres (3 feet), the structure changes from flat slabs to overlapping stones, forming a beehive-shaped vault that covers the chamber.
Experts have different ideas about how much work was needed to build Maeshowe. One estimate suggests around 39,000 hours of labor, while another expert, Colin Renfrew, believes at least 100,000 hours of work may have been required. These numbers show that the monument was likely built by a large group of people working together over a long time.
It is difficult to determine exactly when Maeshowe was built, but burials in similar tombs date to around 3000 BC. Since Maeshowe is the largest and most complex example of its type, archaeologists think it may have been built around 2800 BC, marking the final stage of this architectural style.
Siting
Maeshowe is part of a larger Neolithic area in central Orkney that includes nearby stone circles such as the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness.
Maeshowe is a grassy hill that rises from a flat plain near the southeast end of the Loch of Harray. The land around Maeshowe likely looked similar to how it appears today: without trees, covered in grasses that suggest "pollen assemblage zone" MNH-I, which indicates "mixed agricultural practices, probably with a focus on raising animals—there is a lot of ribwort pollen, as well as pollen from grains."
Maeshowe is aligned with other Neolithic sites nearby. For example, the entrance of "Structure 8" at the Barnhouse Settlement directly faces the mound. Also, a stone called the "Barnhouse Stone," located about 700 meters away, is perfectly aligned with the entrance of Maeshowe. This entrance is positioned so that sunlight from the setting sun enters the chamber for a few days before and after the winter solstice, lighting up the entrance to the back chamber.
A Neolithic "low road" connects Maeshowe to the well-preserved village of Skara Brae, passing near the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar. These low roads linked Neolithic ceremonial sites across Britain. Some archaeologists believe Maeshowe was once surrounded by a large stone circle. The group of sites including Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar, the Standing Stones of Stenness, Skara Brae, and other tombs and standing stones forms a dense collection of Neolithic places that is only matched in Britain by the complexes at Stonehenge and Avebury.
People and society
Maeshowe was built by early farming communities living in central Orkney during the late fourth and early third millennium BC. This monument shows how these communities could work together on large building projects and spend a lot of time and effort creating structures linked to rituals and traditions honoring ancestors.
Archaeological evidence suggests the builders followed the cultural tradition connected to a type of pottery called Grooved Ware, which first appeared in Orkney around 3000 BC and later spread across Britain and Ireland.
Building Maeshowe required cutting, moving, and placing very large slabs of local flagstone. Experts estimate that thousands of hours of coordinated work were needed to complete the monument, showing that many people from the community participated and shared common ceremonial traditions.
Monuments like Maeshowe were important for the social and religious activities of Neolithic Orkney. The size and visibility of the cairn suggest it was used not only for burials but also as a central place for gatherings and rituals tied to seasonal events and remembering ancestors.
Style
The tomb known as Maeshowe gives its name to a type of Scottish chambered cairn found only in Orkney. Maeshowe is very similar to the famous Newgrange tomb in Ireland, which suggests a connection between the two cultures. Chambered tombs of the Maeshowe type are identified by a long, low entrance passage that leads to a square or rectangular chamber. This chamber connects to several side rooms. While there are disagreements about which tombs belong to which types, only seven Maeshowe-type tombs are definitely known. On Mainland, these include Maeshowe itself, as well as the tombs at Cuween Hill, Wideford Hill, and Quanterness. The tomb at Quoyness is located on Sanday, and Vinquoy Hill is found on Eday. There is also an unnamed tomb on the Holm of Papa Westray. Anna Ritchie reported that three more Maeshowe-type tombs exist in Orkney, but she did not name or locate them.
Chambered tombs are typically marked by grave goods, which were found at Cuween Hill and the tomb on the Holm of Papa Westray but not at Maeshowe. A passage grave is described as a structure with a long entrance passage leading to a burial chamber.
A possible explanation for the advanced engineering of Maeshowe and the absence of human remains was proposed by Peter Tompkins in 1971. He compared Maeshowe to the Great Pyramid of Giza, suggesting that the site may have been used as an observatory, calendar, and for ceremonies during May Day rather than as a tomb. Tompkins studied many documents about the Great Pyramid and noted that the central "observation chamber" at Maeshowe was "corbeled" like the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid. He described the chamber as carefully leveled and constructed with joints of high quality, similar to those in the Great Pyramid. Instead of being burial chambers, Tompkins believed the rooms might have been used as "retiring rooms" for observers. He also noted that the entrance of Maeshowe resembled that of Egyptian pyramids, with a 54-foot passage that pointed toward a megalithic stone 2,772 feet away to mark the summer solstice. A "Watchstone" to the west of the tomb was said to indicate the equinoxes. The passage also aligned with a northern star, similar to the pyramids of Saqqara, Dashur, and Medûm. Tompkins stated that the similarity between the pyramids and Maeshowe is "indeed amazing." He referenced Professor Alexander Thom, a former Chair of Engineering Science at Oxford, who wrote about the geometry and astronomical alignment of Maeshowe in 1967.
Tompkins, citing Thom and others, explained that Maeshowe, Silbury Hill, and other ancient mounds and Neolithic structures in Britain were used as precise observatories, calendars, and beacons for travelers. These sites were also used in ceremonial events, such as May Day celebrations, over 4,000 years ago.
Norse intrusion and runic inscriptions
Maeshowe was not kept closed after it was built. In the twelfth century, Norse people entered the mound and went into the main chamber. Evidence from archaeologists shows they broke into the chamber from above by breaking through the roof, not using the original entrance. At that time, the monument had already stood for about four thousand years. Inside the chamber, the visitors carved more than thirty runic symbols into the stone walls. These carvings are the largest single group of runic symbols found in one place.
The symbols have different tones and messages, and they look more like informal messages than official memorials. One carving says, "These runes were carved by the man most skilled in runes west of the ocean." Another reads, "Ingigerth is the most beautiful of women." Another carving states, "The man who is most skilled in runes west of the ocean carved these runes."
Many symbols also include the names of the people who carved them, leaving small records of the individuals who entered the monument. In total, the chamber has about thirty-three symbols made by several different people, showing that the mound was visited more than once during the Norse period.
Stories about Norse people entering ancient burial mounds also appear in medieval writings. A similar story is in the Orkneyinga saga. In the saga, the mound is called Orkahaugr, meaning "Orkney mound." According to the story, a group led by Harald Maddadsson and Rognvald, Earl of More, entered the mound. They were caught in a snowstorm and later searched the chamber for treasure. Although the story mixes real events with legends, it matches archaeological findings about Norse people entering the monument in the twelfth century.
This activity shows broader Norse traditions about ancient burial mounds. In Scandinavian folklore, these mounds were often believed to hold treasure protected by draugar, the restless spirits of the dead. Stories about heroes searching mounds for treasure appear often in Old Norse literature.
When the chamber was opened again in the nineteenth century by researchers, they found the walls covered with runic carvings. Their discovery showed an unexpected medieval period in the monument’s history, preserving signs of Norse visitors who had entered the mound centuries earlier.
Modern studies continue to examine the runic symbols. Special photography methods, such as reflectance transformation imaging, have been used to record the carvings in detail. These techniques reveal small marks and help scholars understand the order in which the runes were carved.
Excavation
In July 1861, James Farrer, an antiquarian and Member of Parliament (MP) for South Durham, opened the tomb. Farrer, like many antiquarians at the time, was not known for carefully excavating sites. John Hedges described Farrer as having a strong desire for excavation but using rough methods, not very creative approaches, and failing to publish his findings effectively.
Farrer and his workers broke through the roof of the entrance passage and found it filled with debris. They then worked on the top of the mound, breaking through it, and over several days removed all the material that had filled the main chamber.
During the excavation, they discovered famous runic inscriptions carved on the walls, showing that Norse people had entered the tomb at least six centuries earlier.
Archaeological findings indicate that the outer wall surrounding the ditch was rebuilt in the 9th century. Some archaeologists believe this suggests the tomb may have been reused by the Norse people, and that they were the source of the "treasure" later taken by looters.
World Heritage status
The "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" was added to the list of World Heritage sites in December 1999. This site includes Maeshowe, Skara Brae, the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar, and other nearby places. It is managed by Historic Environment Scotland, which has a Statement of Significance that says:
The monuments at the heart of Neolithic Orkney and Skara Brae show the achievements of people in early times and remote areas. These monuments were around the same time as the mastabas of the archaic period of Egypt (first and second dynasties), the brick temples of Sumeria, and the first cities of the Harappa culture in India. They were also a century or two earlier than the Golden Age of China. Very well-preserved for their age, and with a lot of evidence that has survived, these sites are a clear example of what early people accomplished away from the traditional centers of civilization. Maeshowe is a great example of Neolithic engineering. It is one of the earliest examples of advanced architecture. With its strong and simple design, it is the only one left from 5,000 years ago. It shows the creativity of the people who built it, whose other tombs were small, enclosed rooms in smaller mounds.
Visitor centre
The Maeshowe Heart of Neolithic Orkney Visitor Centre is in the village of Stenness on Mainland, Orkney. Access to the cairn is only available on guided tours. Visitors start at the Stenness centre and then travel to the monument as part of tours that are organized by Historic Environment Scotland.