Maeshowe 3.5 miles north east of Stromness, is probably Orkneyโs outstanding antiquarian showpiece, consisting of splendidly preserved relics of a civilization going back to 2000 B.C. and the famous chambered tomb is acknow ledged to be the ๏ฌnest in Western Europe.
Many archaeological writers have waxed lyrical about Maeshowe, thus V. Gordon Childe has written. The fantastic labour involved in quarrying and transporting the stones for the chambers and in heaping such a tumulus over it, like the elegance and ingenuity of the chamberโs construction, markย it as the tomb of a potentate, a veritable prince bishop. Truly megalithic the central chamber andย mural cells are superbly constructed for the mostpart of gigantic stones which span the entire lengthย of the walls, and the โ๏ฌnesse of the craftsmanship, at a time when the only primitive tools were ofย stone or ๏ฌint, is in perfect af๏ฌnity with the grandeur of the design.
- Maeshowe Geolocation Latitude 58.9783ยฐ N Longitude -3.2235ยฐ W
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Although only 16 ft square and the same in height, the ๏ฌne corbelling of the walls and the incredible excellence of the masonry inspires a unique, almost cathedral like, sensation of spaciousness.
The central chamber is entered by a passage 39 ft long, and the whole structure is covered by a mound 26 ft high and l l5 ft in diameter. But the tomb was pillaged, probably of Mediterranean gold with which it was ornamented, in the 12th century by Viking marauders.
Norse Crusaders sheltered there from a storm and they left a new treasure which survives to this day, for they engraved on the walls the richest collection of runic inscriptions to be found in any one place.
