Scheduled MonumentsScotlandCuween Hill, chambered cairn
Neolithic · Chambered cairn

Cuween Hill, chambered cairn

Scotland
HES SM90092
Period
Neolithic
Site type
Chambered cairn
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Cuween Hill is a Neolithic chambered cairn located on the Orkney Mainland in Scotland, dating to approximately 3000 BCE. The monument consists of a circular mound containing a central stone-built chamber accessed via a passage, a characteristic design of the Orkney-Cromarty type of chambered cairn. The cairn's chamber contained the remains of at least eight individuals, along with pottery and animal bones, indicating its use as a communal burial monument over an extended period. The site represents significant evidence of Neolithic funerary practice and social organisation in northern Britain during the third millennium BCE.

Cuween Hill, chambered cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90092. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cuween Hill, chambered cairn?

Cuween Hill is a Neolithic chambered cairn located on the Orkney Mainland in Scotland, dating to approximately 3000 BCE. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90092.

What period does Cuween Hill, chambered cairn date from?

Cuween Hill, chambered cairn dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a chambered cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across Britain.

Who is responsible for protecting Cuween Hill, chambered cairn?

Cuween Hill, chambered cairn is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM90092.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cuween Hill, chambered cairn?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rennibister, souterrain (3.3 km), Groundwater, mound 200m NNW of, Loch of Kirbister (4 km), Groundwater, burial mounds 500m ENE of (4.2 km).

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