As for the majority of the prehistoric monuments of the Orkneys, the discovery of the cairn of Isbister, more known under the name of tomb of the eagles, was purely accidental. The cairn was discovered by a local farmer, Ronald Simison, in 1958.
Impassioned by its discovery, it began excavations and found, in addition to many objects, the entry of the room. Little time after this discovery, the cairn was sealed while waiting for a complete archaeological study. More than 20 years passed…

Mr Simison, tired to wait, thus gave up the administrative steps and decided to do the work itself.

The tomb of the eagles is in the line of Unstan. 340 skeletons were discovered, as well as greenhouses of eagle of sea, from where its name.
The official dating is -3.150 before J.C. ; the use lasted approximately 800 years. (the last skeleton goes back to -1.600 years before J.C.)

Potteries of the style of Unstan, fish remainders, barley roasted and objects hones some admirably carved were found on the spot. (of which “balls” with several facets, which pose a problem when with their use. Me that makes me think of plugs to write…)

The cairn is located at the top of abrupt cliffs of Pentland Firth which separates the Scandinavian coast from Scotland of the Orkneys. The archaeologists regard it as one of most beautiful the cairns islands. The structure of the rock, the sophisticated architectural design of the cairn required a great competence and a talent exeptionnel.
people who built the cairn had a advanced control of technology, astronomy and mathematics.

The cairn was surrounded at the beginning of flagstones, on an oval surface of more than 3 meters 50. The entry is located at the North-West, in the middle of a dry stone low wall in the shape of arc of circle. The opening is so low that it is necessary to crawl to arrive inside, or to lie down on the caster carriage left on the spot by the Simison family.

The principal room is rectangular (8m33 X 1m45), its height is of 3m50. It is divided into 3 compartments by stones rectified punts. One finds 3 rooms side, including two in the west and one in the east. One of them still contains craniums.
The roof is unfortunately modern, once again… the old roof was in corbelling, as in the majority of the others cairns of the Orkneys.
the light thus arrives of outside by attic windows, which is quite practical for the tourists but disadvantage seeking them. It is as if one practised an opening in the crypt of a black virgin, it which must remain in the darkness, in the matrix, with deepest of the Ground-mother. In spite of the roof, energies are still present.

The bones were found piled up in various compartments and the western side room. The dating with carbon-14 showed that the use of the cairn as tomb was done during more than 800 years before it of is filled by the ground after éffondrement roof.

A very thorough examination of the human bones showed a difference of the skeletons with the current men. For example, the muscles of the neck were stronger, the wisdom teeth absent in a proportion quite higher than the current average, the teeth being in general healthy and without decays, the closing of the joinings of earlier cranium, rare anatomical configuration of the occipital condyles (a facet in general today, two even three facets on the skeletons).

The ladies had a cranium more stretched with the back than the Sirs… (the explanation given, which for me does not hold upright is as follows: these young ladies were to transport heavy loads on their back, supported by straps on the top of the head, with the manner of the sherpas…)

It is odd, I have rather the impression to be found in the middle of people much more advanced than one wants to make us well believe it… Would be this only by the absence of wisdom teeth, which is the sign, normally, of the current evolution of the human race by the reduction of the jaws, not leaving more place for these last…

The shape of cranium of Charlie, 18 year old young lady, (cranium gone back to approximately 5.000 years, that I could take in my hands), made me think immediately of the representation of Nefertiti, which however lived well later. This shape lengthened of cranium backwards is also found in her Akhénaton husband and their daughters… what brings back for us once again to Egypt. Definitely!

The dates in C14 of the remainders of the eagles, which one takes, as in Cuween with the dogs, for the animal totem of the tribe having built the cairn, shows that makes some, the animals were deposited only approximately 1.000 years after its construction (2 450 to 2050 before J.C.). What confirms an evolution (or involution?) in the practices of the inhabitants of the corner.

Was the eagle of sea used to remove any flesh of the skeletons before their burial? (as it would be liked well that celà had occurred…). Were they regarded as psychopompes?
Celà points out certain habits of the mésopotamiens to me, it seems to me.

Another study, made by Babette Barthelmess, shows an approach different from the functionality of the cairn. In 'celebration of the rising of the sun to the tomb of the eagles ", it explains the relation between the construction of the cairn and to raise it sun, as the title of its book indicates it…
The sun rises in perfect alignment with the entry around on May 21. Another perfect alignment towards mid-August where the light atteind the foot of the wall postpones cairn.
The cairn could carefully be located so that of his entry, one can observe raise it sun. What would show that the sun held a dominating place in the celebrations of the manufacturers. And a control of astronomy.

Their ritual, in my opinion, were closer to the meditation, tests of spiritual perceptions, of initiations, that burials, which, we saw it, are quite posterior.

The place remains favourable with the expéreinces out-standards, of share the beauty of the landscape, with its impressive cliffs leaving paraitre, that and there, of the caves where the floods have just engulfed at the rate/rhythm of the waves.
Opposite the cairn, at the edge of this cliff, the oblique cutting rocks challenged me. There is in this place a magic which takes place…

Tomb of Eagles, the Orkneys

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