0:00:02 > 0:00:07Stonehenge, on the plains of southern England.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Britain's most famous ancient monument.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16But over 500 miles north,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19new discoveries are being unearthed that challenge its supremacy.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22How extraordinary!
0:00:22 > 0:00:26And they're turning the Stone Age map of Britain on its head.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Was the centre of our ancient world
0:00:30 > 0:00:33really in the remote islands of Orkney...
0:00:35 > 0:00:36..a place cut off
0:00:36 > 0:00:40by the fastest-flowing stretch of water in Europe?
0:00:43 > 0:00:45We've joined forces with archaeologists
0:00:45 > 0:00:48and hundreds of volunteers to investigate
0:00:48 > 0:00:51how these far-flung islands may have forged Britain's
0:00:51 > 0:00:53first common culture.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Oh, wow!
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Andy, look at this.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02So far, we've discovered this culture
0:01:02 > 0:01:06is around 500 years older than originally thought.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09It's way before Romans and Greeks.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10It's before any of the pyramids.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15And the stone circles here inspired Stonehenge.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19It boggles the mind. It beggars belief.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Now we go on the hunt for the origin
0:01:22 > 0:01:24of the very first stone circle.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27We're going down, we're going to go investigate that,
0:01:27 > 0:01:28and let's see what we find.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32And we explore how this extraordinary society
0:01:32 > 0:01:34came to a dramatic end.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36There was a gathering,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40and as many as 400 head of cattle were slaughtered.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41Naturalist Chris Packham and I
0:01:41 > 0:01:44search for clues on an abandoned island.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45Maybe the people that left here
0:01:45 > 0:01:47felt good about going to the mainland.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54We find startling new evidence just outside the walls of the site.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Is it something totally new?
0:01:57 > 0:01:59We've yet to see.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Archaeological adventurer Andy Torbet makes a breakthrough...
0:02:02 > 0:02:04It's remarkable to think that no-one
0:02:04 > 0:02:06has looked down this view for 3,500 years.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09..and engineer Shini Somara
0:02:09 > 0:02:12tests the sophistication of ancient technology.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15This is working, I have to say, a lot better than I expected.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19- Together...- Wow.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21..we investigate how this ancient society
0:02:21 > 0:02:24which dominated Britain for 1,000 years
0:02:24 > 0:02:26came to a sudden end.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Late summer in Orkney -
0:02:40 > 0:02:43the last few weeks of an archaeological dig
0:02:43 > 0:02:46that's overturning the ancient history of Britain.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50The Ness of Brodgar -
0:02:50 > 0:02:54a vast complex poised between two stone circles.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58We're getting closer to understanding
0:02:58 > 0:03:02the full history of this extraordinary place.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04And a little set there.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Yeah. God.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10This summer we've reached the bottom level of the site,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12and we've made some remarkable discoveries.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21We've set up base camp on the hill overlooking the Ness
0:03:21 > 0:03:23to consider the latest evidence.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31What we have got in now is the dates from, you know,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33the deepest parts of the site.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35What's fascinating is that
0:03:35 > 0:03:38the buildings that are largely exposed at the moment
0:03:38 > 0:03:42date to around 3000BC.
0:03:42 > 0:03:49This date, this 3512BC date, means that 500 years before that,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53there was already a complex of stone buildings on the Ness.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57They were building there for such a long time.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02And does that show that categorically
0:04:02 > 0:04:04the Ness is older than the stuff happening down
0:04:04 > 0:04:06in the South of England with Stonehenge?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08The evidence is clearly building
0:04:08 > 0:04:10that what was happening here at the Ness
0:04:10 > 0:04:14predates the developments of this
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Neolithic way of thinking further south.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23This date is powerful support
0:04:23 > 0:04:25for a brand-new theory,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27that the Ness of Brodgar was
0:04:27 > 0:04:29the centre of the stone circle cult
0:04:29 > 0:04:32which swept Britain 5,000 years ago,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34culminating in Stonehenge.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43This summer, startling evidence has emerged
0:04:43 > 0:04:45of what may have been the inspiration
0:04:45 > 0:04:47for the very first stone circle.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55How... How deep's the dive we're doing today?
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Compared to what you're used to? Bloody shallow.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Seven metres, maybe. Eight.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Marine archaeologist Richard Bates has surveyed the shallow waters
0:05:05 > 0:05:09near the Ness and discovered something intriguing.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14So, Richard, where exactly are we?
0:05:14 > 0:05:15Well, we're getting in towards
0:05:15 > 0:05:17the middle of the Bay of Firth in here,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and so this is right at the heart of the area we've been surveying.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25This location here has got probably the most interesting feature
0:05:25 > 0:05:26in the whole of this bay.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Geophysical data shows a circular stone mound
0:05:30 > 0:05:34below the waves that might once have been on dry land.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36This is the main feature we're going to dive on.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38This is the main mound itself.
0:05:38 > 0:05:44You can see how perfectly circular it is, 40-metre diameter.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Nobody has ever seen anything like this
0:05:46 > 0:05:48anywhere in the north of Scotland.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49We're going down,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51we're going to go investigate that, and let's see what we find.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- Fantastic. Looking forward to it. - Yeah, let's get out there.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It's a prize worth diving for -
0:06:03 > 0:06:06the answer to one of the great mysteries of British history...
0:06:09 > 0:06:11..the origin of the stone circles.
0:06:16 > 0:06:216,000 years ago, the sea level around Orkney was lower,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24so this mound might once have been above water.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Thousands of years of erosion
0:06:29 > 0:06:32would've reduced the stone mound to a fraction
0:06:32 > 0:06:33of its previous height.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43If this was above water, thousands of years ago,
0:06:43 > 0:06:48I can see people kind of latching onto this unusual natural feature.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53The question is, though, do you know for a fact that it was above water?
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Around this actual feature itself, we have yet to get that crucial core
0:06:58 > 0:07:00that's going to answer that question, so, we...
0:07:00 > 0:07:03You know, we want to go out there and do that.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Is that our next job then?
0:07:04 > 0:07:06That's definitely the next job for us.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09A core sample will prove one way or the other
0:07:09 > 0:07:11whether the mound was once on dry land
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and visible to the people of the Ness.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Back at the site,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22the archaeologists have widened their search for the origins
0:07:22 > 0:07:27of the culture which, we think, created the stone circle cult.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29They have dug a trench through a grassy mound
0:07:29 > 0:07:3250 metres outside the main complex.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36They've revealed a Stone Age rubbish dump, or midden.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42For archaeologists, middens are always treasure troves,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45but dig director Nick Card thinks this one holds the promise
0:07:45 > 0:07:47of something even more special.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52At the end of last season, at the bottom of the mound,
0:07:52 > 0:07:57we discovered some elements which could be a chambered tomb
0:07:57 > 0:08:00that actually predates
0:08:00 > 0:08:02the construction of the midden mound.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05But... So, Neolithic, but...
0:08:05 > 0:08:10- What, so, earlier than the rest of Brodgar or what?- Possibly.- Oh.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12This structure could be one of the earliest on-site,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15but if it's not a tomb, it could be something...
0:08:15 > 0:08:18a completely new, unique form of structure,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20the like of which we've never seen before.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Orkney is littered with chambered tombs.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30One of the most spectacular is the Tomb of the Eagles,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33discovered 50 years ago on South Ronaldsay.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39If there is a tomb beneath here, it too might be intact.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45One of the student volunteers has made a breakthrough.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46Quite literally.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Right before lunch, at about, like, 12 noon, I think,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52a couple of hours ago,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56came up really delicately up underneath a little ledge
0:08:56 > 0:09:00- and suddenly there was a hole. - SHE LAUGHS
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Right before I'm supposed to leave in a couple of days,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05we find something really interesting,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07so it's a little frustrating now.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Yeah, so it looks like there's a wall...
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Ben Chan is the trench supervisor.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Cat just found, well, this void here,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18which is about this deep,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21and I can just about see inside the void.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24It looks like there's a wall face there.
0:09:24 > 0:09:25You know, it's a good starting point
0:09:25 > 0:09:29to suggest that it is part of a pretty enormous structure
0:09:29 > 0:09:31of some kind.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36- It's pretty amazing. - But that is peculiar.- Yes.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41So, I think, yeah, whoever's digging here better watch their footing.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43A little bit Indiana Jones.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46This could mean a massive structure,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49the like of which we've never really seen before.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51But what is it? Is it a chambered tomb?
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Is it something totally new?
0:09:54 > 0:09:55We've yet to see.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Chris is intrigued by one of
0:09:59 > 0:10:02the other significant finds of the dig.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Cattle bones - thousands of them.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08One thing that strikes me, Nick,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10is that obviously there were a lot of cattle here.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13If I were a Neolithic farmer,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15keeping goats and sheep would be a lot easier.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18The goats can go on quite steep slopes,
0:10:18 > 0:10:19as long as they're well-drained.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22They can eat almost anything, including quite rough grasses.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Why not have a mix of all of them and make more of the land?
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Well, I think it's the status of cattle,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31perhaps a reflection of the number of cattle you had,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34that made a statement to other people -
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- "This is how big I am."- Mm.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39So, I think the predominance of cattle can be a reflection
0:10:39 > 0:10:42of other aspects of Neolithic society.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Cattle are a central part of Orcadian life, even today.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53One find earlier this summer suggests that cattle,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55for the people of the Ness,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59were not only a source of sustenance, but also revered.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Oh, ho-ho!
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Oh, my goodness. That is cattle bone.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10These cattle bones were carefully placed
0:11:10 > 0:11:12below one of the buttresses in the building
0:11:12 > 0:11:15that may have been a kind of temple.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- Wow. - HE LAUGHS
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Yeah, I need a cup of tea now, definitely.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32That... Oh, that's pretty special. Wow.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34It looks like a ritual offering,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38a vital piece of evidence helping to build a picture
0:11:38 > 0:11:42of the complex belief system behind the mysterious stone circles.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46In the Bay of Firth,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50the hunt for the underwater stone circle is in its next phase.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53There's a...a tantalising idea there
0:11:53 > 0:11:55that this could've been the inspiration for all
0:11:55 > 0:11:57these stone circles.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Andy and Richard are taking a core sample of the soil
0:12:02 > 0:12:05around the stone mound to find out when it was submerged.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19After 20 minutes of drilling, they've got it.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I think now we've got...we've had success,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26and we've seen a decent core sample.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30ANGLE GRINDER WHIRS
0:12:40 > 0:12:43The sample they've collected gives them a cross-section
0:12:43 > 0:12:45through thousands of years of history.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49So, in here you can see it transitioning from this lake.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52You see it getting reedy wetlands.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- See how it gets very dark in here? - Yep.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Now you're on land. This is land surface.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02So, we know at this point here, this is dry land,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04and anything above it is dry land.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06At that period in time,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10- anyone walking around this landscape can see that rock feature?- Yes.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13The thing we need to find out is when is this point here.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18So, radiocarbon is the best way, and so we'll get a slice of that,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20get it bagged up, get it to the lab.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25The soil analysis and radiocarbon dating
0:13:25 > 0:13:28will establish when this mound was on dry land.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Well, I've just got back from an interesting dive
0:13:39 > 0:13:41out in the Bay of Firth, where...
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Bracing, was it?
0:13:43 > 0:13:45It wasn't too bad, actually. It wasn't too bad.
0:13:45 > 0:13:51But they've found what appears to be a natural stone circle,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54which is quite unusual, but it's underwater.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56It would be very traumatic to see your land,
0:13:56 > 0:14:01upon which you depend, being inundated, encroached upon,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03taken away by the sea.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04And you might wonder,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07"If that's gone, what's going to go next?"
0:14:07 > 0:14:10And that might have inspired all sorts of behaviours
0:14:10 > 0:14:11of people trying to intervene, you know,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14and ask maybe the gods or the ancestors
0:14:14 > 0:14:16to intercede on their behalf, and protect the land
0:14:16 > 0:14:18upon which they lived and upon which they depended.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21It would have been a really epic natural event
0:14:21 > 0:14:22if that had happened, though.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24So, it would have taken people by...
0:14:24 > 0:14:27To see the waters rising around you during the course of a lifetime.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29You know, when you're little the water's away out there.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32By the time you're an old person, it's come all the way up,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35and you think, "Where's that going to stop? Is it going to stop?"
0:14:35 > 0:14:39What we are trying to do here is to figure out what people did.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Trying to figure out what they thought
0:14:41 > 0:14:43is obviously a lot harder.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47While we wait for the results of the dive,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49there's another mystery to solve.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52What we know for certain is that whatever the success
0:14:52 > 0:14:54of the culture here and however long it lasted,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58it came to an end, and the fascination is why?
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Why did the people who'd been living a certain way for such a long time
0:15:02 > 0:15:04find reasons to change so profoundly?
0:15:06 > 0:15:07Recent evidence from the dig
0:15:07 > 0:15:11has established that after it had flourished for 1,000 years,
0:15:11 > 0:15:16the Ness came to a sudden end, around 2200BC -
0:15:16 > 0:15:21the buildings abandoned, the temple structure dismantled.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29To investigate, Andy and Shini are going to see
0:15:29 > 0:15:33if evidence about the culture that followed can shed some light...
0:15:35 > 0:15:39..and Chris and I are going to explore the reasons why
0:15:39 > 0:15:43people abandon a whole way of life.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45The lawn out there, the field...
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- Yeah.- It still looks very manicured and green, doesn't it?
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- That'll be the cattle, keeping it down.- Yeah.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58Throughout its history, Orkney has seen many cultures rise and fall,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01from the Iron Age to the Vikings.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Chris and I are spending the night
0:16:03 > 0:16:06on one of the islands most recently deserted -
0:16:06 > 0:16:11Swona, two miles off the western tip of South Ronaldsay.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12God, imagine living out here.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16- It's like you might as well be on a raft...- I know.- ..at sea.- Yeah.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17It's so small.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19I hadn't taken into account how small it is.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23So, we're seeing it on probably one of the finest days of the year.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Yeah, most of the time the waves would be breaking over that.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28They'd be breaking over that. We'd be lost in thick fog and rain.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34The island had been inhabited since the Neolithic,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37but the last inhabitants left in 1974,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39abandoning it to the elements.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Perhaps their departure can help us understand
0:16:42 > 0:16:45what happened at the Ness.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48How many changes of clothing have you brought?
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I need my party frock for tonight.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54I've got big plans. I've got a portable glitter ball in here.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57So, what do you reckon? That one looks the most habitable.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- The one in front of us?- Yeah.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00Yeah, it definitely does, doesn't it?
0:17:00 > 0:17:04It feels quite strange approaching someone's abandoned home.
0:17:04 > 0:17:05I wonder what's left in there.
0:17:05 > 0:17:06Small hole in the roof,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09but it looks in a better state of repair than that one.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Oh.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Oh!
0:17:22 > 0:17:23Oh, look!
0:17:26 > 0:17:28A hard hat, a saucepan,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31two toilet rolls, a cardboard box and a brush.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34What will future archaeologists
0:17:34 > 0:17:37discern from that assemblage of objects, one wonders?
0:17:43 > 0:17:49Would you believe it? Garibaldis, and I can't stand garibaldis.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Look at the seat! Look!
0:17:51 > 0:17:54That's sail, a sailcloth.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58- It looks like it's been knocked together from driftwood.- Yeah.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59The whole thing's got the look of some...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01These are fish boxes, aren't they?
0:18:01 > 0:18:03- It's been furnished with shipwreck! - Yeah.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04The thing is, Neil,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07if we cast ourselves 4,000 years into the future,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11imagine we're archaeologists here, what would survive?
0:18:11 > 0:18:15- Well, the ceramic.- The ceramic, the glass.- Iron from the stove.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17And the stove itself might not be intact,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20but such a heavy piece of iron, I think there would be iron.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23- I hate to say it.- The plastic. - The plastic will last...
0:18:23 > 0:18:26- That will look in 4,000 years... - It will look exactly the same.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31- It's dry, isn't it?- It's all solid.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- Yeah. - This is dry enough to make camp.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36- This'll do.- I like the idea.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52It's quite a sad place, quite poignant.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54You know, you see, I don't feel that.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I see this as a...
0:18:57 > 0:19:00as an optimistic place. Here nature is coming back.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02It's going to have the last laugh here.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05That's because you're on nature's side.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11My sadness is on behalf of the little human civilisation here
0:19:11 > 0:19:15that, for a combination of reasons, became too hard and was given up.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17I think that's got a poignancy.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Maybe the people that left here,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- maybe they felt good about going over to the mainland...- Mm.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25..embracing new technologies, getting a TV, a washing machine.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27That's the thing. I mean, you say that,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30you know, the television, the washing machine.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33The Neolithic was replaced, was supplanted,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35by the technology of the Bronze Age.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39Even if they resisted it at first,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43they eventually went over to the bronze way,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and similarly here people had tried and tried and persisted,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49but eventually the lure of another way of living.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01This is one of those privileged opportunities, isn't it?
0:20:01 > 0:20:05To get the chance to spend the night on an abandoned empty island.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Yeah, very much so.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11This is a fabulous place.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13It's kind of off the map.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Back at the Ness,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36the team have borrowed an endoscope to look down into the void
0:20:36 > 0:20:38they've just discovered.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40It's not dark enough in there,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43so the light's not really doing very much.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46We can make out the wall, basically,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48but I can see the wall anyway through the hole,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50so it's not telling us very much new.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Goes about a metre in that direction.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59About 1,200 plus.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03This buried stone structure could be an ancient chamber tomb,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05or something else altogether.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08It's a slight puzzle at the moment because we would expect normally
0:21:08 > 0:21:10for the interior face of a wall
0:21:10 > 0:21:14to be well dressed, and this one is quite the opposite.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18It feels quite roughly faced.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22The bits that are not intended to be seen quite so much.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23So, in some ways,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26it feels like the building is a little bit inside out
0:21:26 > 0:21:29and clearly we've got a lot left to understand what's going on here.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33The jury's definitely still out on it.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36And I know that Ben isn't wholly convinced yet,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39but I still have an inkling that we do have the elements
0:21:39 > 0:21:40of a chamber tomb.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45After our night on the abandoned isle,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48we're joined by wildlife cameraman Doug Allan.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- Hello, both.- Hello.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53He's accompanied by Cyril Annal,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55the nephew of the last residents of Swona,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58who spent his summer holidays here as a child.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Cyril can give me a first-hand account of life on the island
0:22:04 > 0:22:07while Doug and Chris investigate the wildlife -
0:22:07 > 0:22:09a unique herd of cattle.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- They look like normal cows.- Yeah.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Yeah, they do. They look like perfectly normal cows.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23They're Angus shorthorn cross.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Neolithic farmers domesticated the first cattle
0:22:28 > 0:22:31from a wild breed known as aurochs.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35The cattle on Swona were abandoned to their fate
0:22:35 > 0:22:37when the last inhabitants left over 40 years ago.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Now they're returning to their natural state.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47They haven't seen humans with any degree of regularity since 1974.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51- '74 was the last...- '74.- So, how many generations of cow is that?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53They think about ten.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Although they haven't changed genetically
0:22:55 > 0:22:57or at least imperceptibly genetically,
0:22:57 > 0:22:58their behaviour's changed,
0:22:58 > 0:23:00and that's what we want to look at this morning.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02- This way, Doug.- OK.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15I count 20 cows and calves
0:23:15 > 0:23:19and then separate to the left there, there were the three bulls.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24And of the cows and calves, there are at least four calves,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27and they all look in very good condition, I've got to say.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30So, they're not suffering the absence of human husbandry,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32there's no doubt of that.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37It's interesting to think that, probably,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39since the end of the Neolithic,
0:23:39 > 0:23:44this is as close to wild cows that there have been in the Orkneys.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Animals that have been unattended since '74.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56I was just wondering, is this the size of herd
0:23:56 > 0:23:57that the island can sustain?
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Yeah, I think they have reached
0:23:59 > 0:24:01- what we call their carrying capacity.- Mm-hm.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Conditions out here are pretty harsh
0:24:03 > 0:24:04and I should imagine that, therefore,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07there's going to be quite a high first winter mortality
0:24:07 > 0:24:11for these calves, and that will regulate the population.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I reckon we should try one more push in.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17How far do you reckon?
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Well, I think we can probably get another 40, 50 metres.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21OK. I'm going to avoid looking at them.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- Yeah.- Because I think if you look off to the side...
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Yeah, I'm going to look down. You're right.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27It's always a good technique.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36The cattle on Swona have a fearsome reputation
0:24:36 > 0:24:40for terrorising the few sailors or tourists who land here.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45I expected these animals to run.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50Instead of which, what they're doing is consolidate their position
0:24:50 > 0:24:52around that group of calves.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00So, they're doing a magnificent job of looking after those youngsters
0:25:00 > 0:25:02in the face of what they see as a predatory threat.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04I mean, this is primal behaviour.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09This is what you see in musk ox and other wild bovids.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11So, in the space of ten generations,
0:25:11 > 0:25:16they've gone back to this inherited wild behaviour,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18and that's absolutely brilliant.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28People have lived on Swona since the time of the Ness.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30At the turn of the 20th century,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34it was a thriving fishing and farming community,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37but Cyril's aunt and uncle were the last people to live here,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40and they in turn left just over 40 years ago.
0:25:48 > 0:25:54What happened by 1974 that the last occupant said,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57"We don't need this place any more," was there a sadness?
0:25:57 > 0:26:00There was a sadness and a disappointment
0:26:00 > 0:26:05that the life wasn't continuing here as it had been for them.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09So, the life elsewhere was just easier?
0:26:09 > 0:26:10Yes, it was very much easier.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12There was nothing wrong with the life here.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15- There was nothing wrong with the life here.- It just had its day.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Yes, it had its day.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28What an amazing 24 hours.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33It's perfect, in a way, because the time capsule in that house,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36from the moment the human beings left,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38nothing changed in that world,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- but yet in that world of the animals that you encountered...- Yeah.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43- ..they've moved on.- Yeah.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46They've gone ten generations into the future and they're different.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Yeah, I know.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Oh, so good. This was our HG Wells moment.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- We've had a time machine.- Yeah.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55We've been back and we've come forward.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01The whole way of life of Swona, remote and self-sufficient,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03was rendered obsolete by the modern world.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09When the Ness came to an end,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12around 2200BC,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15a whole way of life went with it.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Elaborate stone villages like Skara Brae
0:27:23 > 0:27:25were replaced by individual homesteads.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32The vast communal tombs like Maeshowe were sealed up.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37The way the great stone circles were used changed as well.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43The Ness of Brodgar,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47which flourished for over 1,000 years, stood empty,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51but we still don't know how or why.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55A spectacular discovery last year on the island of Westray
0:27:55 > 0:28:00could help us understand why this Neolithic culture disappeared.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06All across Britain at this time,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09a new way of life and technology emerged.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12The Bronze Age.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25- This is very pleasant. - I wonder what it's going to be like.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Today, the settlement at the Links of Noltland
0:28:28 > 0:28:30is only a few metres from the sea
0:28:30 > 0:28:32in the dunes of an isolated beach.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35Hiya.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Site director Hazel Moore is overseeing the excavation.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42- It's big.- It is, it is.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Well, it's more than we were expecting to find.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47- So, this would all have been underground?- Yes.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50You have to imagine that we're actually inside a mound here.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54We've taken the top off a mound and this is a subterranean room
0:28:54 > 0:28:56and a passage that we found.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59We weren't expecting to find anything quite so complicated,
0:28:59 > 0:29:01so we're still finding our feet here as well.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05The main floor area is entirely taken up by a water tank,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07and the water tank is set above a natural spring,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10so the tank is obviously the key feature in the building.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14And what we can see from the mound around us here,
0:29:14 > 0:29:15- it's made of burnt, cracked stone. - Yeah.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19So, what we think is, they're heating the stone
0:29:19 > 0:29:21and using that to put into the tank to make steam.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24So, what would the middle part have been used for?
0:29:24 > 0:29:26What we're looking at is an underground sauna
0:29:26 > 0:29:28or steam room.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30- A sweat lodge.- Gosh.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Hazel and her team have also discovered
0:29:34 > 0:29:37a hidden underground passage.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39What we have yet to find is where it goes to,
0:29:39 > 0:29:41so that's our job for later on in the day.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44- Mystery.- Yes. That's our mission.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49Andy is one of the world's most experienced cave divers
0:29:49 > 0:29:52and is keen to get a look inside this tunnel.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55I can see the passageway continues much as it is here, structurally,
0:29:55 > 0:29:58but it bends round the left-hand side,
0:29:58 > 0:29:59so I can't see any further than that bend.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01However, unfortunately,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05it's a bit too unstable at the moment
0:30:05 > 0:30:07to put anyone in there, including me,
0:30:07 > 0:30:09so we're going to send a robot instead.
0:30:16 > 0:30:17Oh, looks interesting.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Yeah, it's a little remote control car.
0:30:20 > 0:30:21I suppose we'll have some fun and games.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23So, the plan is, we've got a camera here
0:30:23 > 0:30:26on a little sort of gyroscope and a light.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28So, I attach the rope to the back
0:30:28 > 0:30:32just because I'm not 100% confident that it'll work in the sand.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34I don't want to send it in and not get it back out.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37- OK, that's a good idea. - So, tie my rope on.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44That is basically this TV screen for this camera.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49The robot camera might be able to reveal
0:30:49 > 0:30:52exactly where and how far this passage goes.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Lights on, cameras on. Yep, good. Right...
0:31:01 > 0:31:05Right, let's see if this works.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09While Andy gets his robot in gear,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12I've also come along to join the Westray dig.
0:31:12 > 0:31:17What does a sauna tell us about the Bronze Age in Orkney?
0:31:17 > 0:31:18It's an interesting question.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21Now, we haven't actually found a sauna before,
0:31:21 > 0:31:22so this is our best guess,
0:31:22 > 0:31:26but it's much more commonly found in a Scandinavian context...
0:31:28 > 0:31:29..and it comes at a time when
0:31:29 > 0:31:31there's increased trade with places like Shetland,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33which is to the north of us here,
0:31:33 > 0:31:37so it's possibly moving away from all the influences
0:31:37 > 0:31:40that had been important in the Neolithic
0:31:40 > 0:31:44and exploring a more northern part of the world.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46So, Orkney had become a different place,
0:31:46 > 0:31:47where in the Neolithic,
0:31:47 > 0:31:52the influence and the focus was towards the south and Britain.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57- Mm-hm.- By the Bronze Age, it's turned through 180 degrees
0:31:57 > 0:32:01and now looking and influencing, or being influenced by the north?
0:32:01 > 0:32:03Mm-hm. Yes, I think so.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05It was looking in a different direction, I think,
0:32:05 > 0:32:06definitely, yeah.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12This sauna is a far cry from the world of the Ness.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14The Orcadians were still building in stone
0:32:14 > 0:32:17but now they were also engineering with water,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20and for what seems to be a very different purpose.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28- Welcome to your home. - This looks amazing.
0:32:28 > 0:32:29Wow.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Shini is working out how the sauna functioned,
0:32:33 > 0:32:37and with a team of locals is building a replica sauna.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42A dry-stone waller, Gerry Wood, has constructed a metre-high base,
0:32:42 > 0:32:44and a local weaver, Jan Hicks,
0:32:44 > 0:32:46is making a willow frame for the roof.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48The roof's starting to look really great
0:32:48 > 0:32:50in terms of creating that dome shape,
0:32:50 > 0:32:55and then on top, we hope that we can lay turf down.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57It's like carpet, isn't it?
0:32:57 > 0:32:59We don't know how long this is going to stay up,
0:32:59 > 0:33:04but if it stays up long enough, it will, hopefully, grow together.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06I'm going to put a third this side.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Shini's reconstruction is above ground,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18but the principle is the same as the underground sauna.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21It's not going to cave in.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25- The willow is so supple, it'll bend but it won't snap.- No.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28- Last one coming, Shini.- OK.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33- Is that high enough? - It's really sagging badly now.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Don't lean on it cos you're pushing some of the...
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Yeah, I know. I've got a rake now, so I don't need to be on it.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41- CRASHING - Wait, get out, get out!
0:33:45 > 0:33:47SHE GROANS
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Yeah, I could see that happening from the inside.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52- Yeah.- Can we save this, or is it...?
0:33:52 > 0:33:56We don't know that these things were covered with turf.
0:33:56 > 0:33:57They could have been using animal skins.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00So, do we have anything that resembles animal skins?
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Maybe a hide. If we could find a tarpaulin...
0:34:02 > 0:34:04- We haven't got a cow, but... - We've got a tarpaulin there.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Why don't we try a tarpaulin?
0:34:06 > 0:34:09It's lightweight and it saves us having to rebuild the whole wall.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13Well done.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16Andy too has run into a little local difficulty.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24We might have a problem.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Didn't move an inch.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31What we could do, if you've got any,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35we could try and sort of manhandle planks up
0:34:35 > 0:34:39into the tunnel and we push them along with the next plank
0:34:39 > 0:34:41and try and create a little track for it to run along.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43We've got planks here on site. Shall I go and get some?
0:34:43 > 0:34:44- Yeah, I'll give you a hand.- Grand.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46I'll get this out and we'll get it sorted.
0:34:46 > 0:34:47Right.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08OK.
0:35:13 > 0:35:14Right, we're at the top.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16That's as far as she'll go.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20- What can you see?- It looks like it's blocked at this end.
0:35:20 > 0:35:21You can see there's a big slab.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25- It's a really fine-looking wall, though, isn't it?- It is.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28That's the first time anybody's seen that in thousands of years.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Is there any way we can kind of see the whole tunnel?
0:35:31 > 0:35:34We've projected to where the passage goes to and we're digging down there
0:35:34 > 0:35:36and the idea is to try and find the doorway from that end and then
0:35:36 > 0:35:39- hopefully to clear the door. - And then we'll be able to...
0:35:39 > 0:35:41So, if you clear it from that end,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43we should be able to see all the way through the tunnel?
0:35:43 > 0:35:45That's right. Hopefully down to where we're stood now.
0:35:52 > 0:35:53Along the beach,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56Shini puts the final touches to her replica sauna.
0:35:58 > 0:35:59That looks good.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04It's not animal hides, but it really does look good.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09I'm using this extra insulation turf round the edges
0:36:09 > 0:36:14is going to seal the sides where the tarp joins the stones.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19So, you know, cos we don't want too much steam loss.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21That's one of the concerns.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Yeah. It's going to work a treat.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28The real test will come tomorrow
0:36:28 > 0:36:31when Shini tries out the sauna for the first time.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41The lab has e-mailed me with their analysis of the core sample
0:36:41 > 0:36:43from the dive in the Bay of Firth.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Andy is my first port of call.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50- ON PHONE:- 'Hello.'- Andy?
0:36:50 > 0:36:52- 'Yes.'- It's Neil.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54- 'Oh, mate, how's things?'- Not bad.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58I've got the results back from the radiocarbon dates
0:36:58 > 0:36:59of the underwater feature.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04- 'Oh, OK.'- And, well, to cut a long story short,
0:37:04 > 0:37:09it's been inundated by the water,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12it's been a flooded feature by around 8,000 years
0:37:12 > 0:37:13before the present.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18'So, what do you think that means?'
0:37:18 > 0:37:22Well, on the face of it,
0:37:22 > 0:37:26it would appear that this idea that we had
0:37:26 > 0:37:30that perhaps the presence of a large natural circular feature
0:37:30 > 0:37:34in the landscape might have been an inspiration
0:37:34 > 0:37:37for the henge monuments that come later...
0:37:37 > 0:37:41- 'Yeah.'- ..unravels a bit, because it would seem that
0:37:41 > 0:37:462,000 years before there were farmers here to be inspired,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48that feature was already gone.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50'It's disappointing.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53'It would be great to think that that had started the whole
0:37:53 > 0:37:55'stone circle tradition but, you know,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58'from a scientific point of view,
0:37:58 > 0:38:00'OK, we've proved that theory isn't correct
0:38:00 > 0:38:02'but that's a step forward in the right direction.'
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Can't quite make it fit at the moment.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13So, the mystery of the inspiration for the stone circles remains,
0:38:13 > 0:38:16but the hunt for an answer goes on.
0:38:22 > 0:38:23There's only a week left before the dig
0:38:23 > 0:38:27at the Ness of Brodgar must be covered over once more
0:38:27 > 0:38:29to protect it from the incoming elements.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Every available volunteer is put to work.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Yeah, it's a very therapeutic thing to do, trowelling.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37There's something very pleasing about it.
0:38:46 > 0:38:47At the midden,
0:38:47 > 0:38:51the small hole into the unknown void has now been carefully deepened.
0:38:53 > 0:38:54It's a bit hard to see,
0:38:54 > 0:38:56but this is actually a wall face
0:38:56 > 0:38:59in here and you can count
0:38:59 > 0:39:03at least seven courses of stonework making up that wall face
0:39:03 > 0:39:06and then disappearing down, so I don't know how much deeper it is.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08But what we didn't know
0:39:08 > 0:39:11is that on this side,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13so opposite that wall face,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16is actually another massive upright slab of stone.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21They've now revealed several large stones
0:39:21 > 0:39:23within a few feet of each other.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25Curiouser and curiouser.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29I think all we can do is try and expose more of this,
0:39:29 > 0:39:33but the intriguing thing is that all these separate elements,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35some of them are lined but then, for instance,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38this new slab of stone is over two metres long.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40Just its location in relationship
0:39:40 > 0:39:43to all these other structural elements
0:39:43 > 0:39:47doesn't seem to kind of hang together at all.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54It was already quite big and now it's really, really big.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57So, yeah, it's extremely large and certainly bigger
0:39:57 > 0:40:01than any we've got on this site.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03This is just a hint that
0:40:03 > 0:40:05this was a very unusual building, basically.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09But that's one single block as far as we can see on either side...
0:40:09 > 0:40:15- Right.- ..leaving a gap like that and at least that deep.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Every time we dig a bit of it,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19it doesn't do what we want it to do
0:40:19 > 0:40:23and we get more confused rather than less confused.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25But that's the joy of archaeology, I suppose.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30- Hazel.- Hello! Hiya.
0:40:30 > 0:40:31- Come in and have a look.- Fantastic.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37Back on Westray, they're about to make a breakthrough.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41What do you think?
0:40:41 > 0:40:43So, by my reckoning,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46there should just be a plug of soil here that separates us,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and hopefully that's the last thing separating us from
0:40:49 > 0:40:50the passage on the other side.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Have you been waiting for me?
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Well, we've been holding ourself back
0:40:56 > 0:40:59from pulling out this plug because we reckon
0:40:59 > 0:41:02it can't be all that thick and there's probably a point in time
0:41:02 > 0:41:04when it's going to just crumble away.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07- That's the lintel. - Certainly looks like it.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09- Oh.- Oh-ho.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12There's a gap. Look at that. Right.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15- Can you see that, Hazel? - Look at that.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17Can you see light coming through?
0:41:17 > 0:41:20- Um, yeah, I can.- Really? Oh, wow. - Yeah.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Take a look. The sun's quite bright.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25If you get right up close, you can see the entrance.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- Oh, yes.- I'm pretty sure...- It's actually quite a curve, isn't there?
0:41:28 > 0:41:30- Yeah.- Yeah. - You can just see the edge.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36The tunnel is revealed in all its glory,
0:41:36 > 0:41:38and the way it's built may tell us
0:41:38 > 0:41:43how this special place was actually used.
0:41:43 > 0:41:44You can see all the way back.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46You can literally see light at the end of the tunnel
0:41:46 > 0:41:48just peaking in through the boards.
0:41:48 > 0:41:49That curve is definitely
0:41:49 > 0:41:51the same tunnel we were in yesterday.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54It's remarkable to think that no-one has looked this view,
0:41:54 > 0:41:58down this view, for 3,500 years.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02The underground passage is both narrow and curved,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05perhaps designed to intimidate or impress.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08It suggests that access to the sauna
0:42:08 > 0:42:10may have been limited to a select few,
0:42:10 > 0:42:13or even reserved for sacred rituals.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15What's it like for you to look down the tunnel?
0:42:15 > 0:42:17We've been waiting a year now to actually see this,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19so there's been a sense of anticipation
0:42:19 > 0:42:21all the way and it's fantastic that it's intact.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24We didn't know it would be, so this is just the icing on the cake.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26- It's lovely.- Yeah, it's beautiful.
0:42:30 > 0:42:31Along the beach,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Shini's reconstruction shows just how effective
0:42:34 > 0:42:36Bronze Age technology could be.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41So, the first rock is in the tank
0:42:41 > 0:42:44and we can hear it sizzling.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48It's a test case, so hopefully it steams up.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52Andy has volunteered to be a guinea pig.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57- What do you think? - I'm impressed.- Yeah?
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Yeah. It's really good.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02This is working, I have to say - no offence -
0:43:02 > 0:43:03but a lot better than I expected.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06- Yeah?- Yeah.- I'm just glad it works.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09You get a sense of what it would've been like
0:43:09 > 0:43:11- in that complex on the hill.- Yeah.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14And they would've had a store of hot rocks,
0:43:14 > 0:43:18so as these cool down, you just, you know,
0:43:18 > 0:43:20top it up with more hot rocks.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22And the thing is, the rocks,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25I kind of thought, "One go and that will be them finished,"
0:43:25 > 0:43:27but they're working again and again and again.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29Yeah, they're actually very effective.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31I might get you to build one of these in my back garden,
0:43:31 > 0:43:34- if that's all right? - SHE LAUGHS
0:43:34 > 0:43:35For the people of Orkney,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38this new technology may have offered both a more comfortable way
0:43:38 > 0:43:42of living and a different spiritual life.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45It's actually getting quite hot in here.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48What we need is a plunge pool.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50And there is one straight out the door.
0:43:57 > 0:43:58Well done, Andy!
0:44:00 > 0:44:02God, that must've been so cold.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08That was bracing stuff. That was actually really nice.
0:44:08 > 0:44:09Really nice.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Oh! Yeah, I could get used to this.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16You know, Bronze Age sauna on the beach,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20run down to a crystal-clear, beautiful, if a little chilly, sea.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24I can see why they built it and why they built it here.
0:44:27 > 0:44:32We now know more about what replaced the Neolithic way of life on Orkney,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35but we still don't know why or how the Ness of Brodgar
0:44:35 > 0:44:37came to an end when it did.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43- How you doing?- Hi, Neil. Welcome.- Good to see you again.
0:44:43 > 0:44:44Great to see you.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48'Archaeologist Jane Downes is taking me to see an early settlement
0:44:48 > 0:44:50'she discovered last year on the island of Sanday
0:44:50 > 0:44:54'that may hold the answer to why these coastal communities
0:44:54 > 0:44:56'are so susceptible to change.'
0:45:02 > 0:45:05This is a very distinctive bit of landscape.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07What's happening here?
0:45:07 > 0:45:10It's caused by gravel accumulations
0:45:10 > 0:45:13which have caused the spit to build up,
0:45:13 > 0:45:16and the sand that you see has accumulated later.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23Just coming up ahead actually is a little tuft of sand dune
0:45:23 > 0:45:25- where we found the settlement. - Oh, perfect.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38So what was it that caught your eye?
0:45:38 > 0:45:42First of all, we saw these stones sticking up,
0:45:42 > 0:45:43and as we know from looking at
0:45:43 > 0:45:46the other Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements, these upright stones...
0:45:46 > 0:45:48Ah, right, these.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50So, is that a hearth, that square setting there?
0:45:50 > 0:45:52Yes, you're right. This is a hearth.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54- These two in a row here?- Yes.- Right.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58What could be a house shaped in an almost circular formation
0:45:58 > 0:46:00running round, you're actually
0:46:00 > 0:46:02sitting in the interior of it at the moment.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06I found it hard at first to see
0:46:06 > 0:46:09the outlines of this ancient homestead.
0:46:09 > 0:46:10No wonder.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13Jane tells me that this settlement was inundated by sand
0:46:13 > 0:46:14thousands of years ago
0:46:14 > 0:46:17and the people who lived here just moved away.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29Around 2200BC, when activity at the Ness came to an end,
0:46:29 > 0:46:32an increase in storminess and rising sea levels
0:46:32 > 0:46:36would've made it more difficult to live by the sea.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38A generally wetter climate
0:46:38 > 0:46:40would have provided challenges for the lives
0:46:40 > 0:46:42of the Neolithic farmers of Orkney.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46Maybe it was this that prompted the changes to their way of life
0:46:46 > 0:46:49and the abandonment of the Ness of Brodgar.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53The archaeologists have also found evidence
0:46:53 > 0:46:57of what happened at the very time the Ness came to an end.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06A few summers ago, they uncovered thousands of burnt cattle bones
0:47:06 > 0:47:10and piles of ash inside the main building, or temple,
0:47:10 > 0:47:13which had then been carefully dismantled.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17The destruction of the Ness and this great mass of cattle bones
0:47:17 > 0:47:21found inside this temple may hold the final answer -
0:47:21 > 0:47:25not to why the community disappeared, but how.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31As many as 400 head of cattle were slaughtered.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37And the shin bones from those animals were cooked
0:47:37 > 0:47:42and smashed open and the marrow from within them was probably consumed.
0:47:42 > 0:47:43It's like the wake,
0:47:43 > 0:47:47the funeral feast to mark the death of this building.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03The bones of these slaughtered cattle
0:48:03 > 0:48:07might offer a unique insight into the community of the Ness
0:48:07 > 0:48:08at the time of its end,
0:48:08 > 0:48:11a clue as to what was really going on.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17Archaeologist Ingrid Mainland is planning to analyse
0:48:17 > 0:48:22the strontium in these cattle bones to reveal where they came from.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24Well, the strontium, it comes...
0:48:24 > 0:48:29It reflects the geology of the bedrock,
0:48:29 > 0:48:33which is then incorporated into the soil of the plants,
0:48:33 > 0:48:37and the animals eat the plants and that comes up into the body
0:48:37 > 0:48:40of the animal, into the bones and into the teeth.
0:48:40 > 0:48:44And depending on where you are in the country,
0:48:44 > 0:48:46your strontium signatures will differ
0:48:46 > 0:48:48depending on the geology of the bedrocks
0:48:48 > 0:48:50that you're living within.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52400 head of cattle.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56You can't imagine Orkney having that many to spare...
0:48:56 > 0:48:58- No.- ..that it could do away with that many adult animals
0:48:58 > 0:49:00- all at one time.- Exactly.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04It represents quite a sacrifice for a community,
0:49:04 > 0:49:06particularly if they did all come from Orkney.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09You know, the animals represent your livelihood in the future,
0:49:09 > 0:49:13so if you're culling that many across an area,
0:49:13 > 0:49:17then that says something about the importance of the event.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20We're sending some of the cattle teeth
0:49:20 > 0:49:24to Durham University for isotope analysis.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26We'll have to wait for the results.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Only a few days left before the dig comes to an end.
0:49:37 > 0:49:42It's vital that every piece of data is recorded for scrutiny
0:49:42 > 0:49:45across the long winter months when the dig is closed up
0:49:45 > 0:49:47against the elements.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49How do you do this on your own?
0:49:49 > 0:49:51I always have an assistant taking photos.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54HE LAUGHS
0:49:54 > 0:49:58Shini is helping archaeologist Hugo Anderson-Whymark
0:49:58 > 0:50:00to record this year's discoveries.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02And we're going to do a row of photos.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04We'll walk up twice.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07So, we'll do one row of photos along this side of the trench
0:50:07 > 0:50:09and we'll come back and do another row up this side.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11And it will work out the relationship
0:50:11 > 0:50:16of where your two cameras were and then it will create a 3-D model.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18We'll try and spot familiarities from photo to photo,
0:50:18 > 0:50:21- and based on that, it will stitch them together?- Yeah.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25What a fantastic piece of software for archaeology.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30OK, so, I've downloaded the photos
0:50:30 > 0:50:32and you're just beginning to see the outlines of the trench.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36And the dense model, so all of those.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39- Gosh.- Some 5 million points calculated from...
0:50:39 > 0:50:43- 5 million?- Yeah, from all those photographs.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47So, can we now add this 3-D model to an overall 3-D model
0:50:47 > 0:50:48that's been built?
0:50:48 > 0:50:51Yeah, we have a model for the rest of the site
0:50:51 > 0:50:53which I can show you here,
0:50:53 > 0:50:58which is this view of all of the buildings on the site.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00- That is incredible.- Yeah.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Our new trench extends out
0:51:02 > 0:51:04from the corner of this building down the slope this way.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13This 3-D data could play an invaluable role
0:51:13 > 0:51:15in uncovering the secrets of the site.
0:51:15 > 0:51:20By making the stones appear smooth, details of carving,
0:51:20 > 0:51:23which can be hard to see with the naked eye, may be revealed.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Back at the midden, they seem to be inching forward
0:51:29 > 0:51:31to an extraordinary conclusion.
0:51:31 > 0:51:32There are lots of questions,
0:51:32 > 0:51:35not least of which, where the hell did these come from?
0:51:37 > 0:51:40'They have found more of these large stones,
0:51:40 > 0:51:43'or orthostats, within a few feet of each other.'
0:51:43 > 0:51:45And what is the possible answer to that?
0:51:45 > 0:51:48Well, we do wonder, were these originally standing stones?
0:51:48 > 0:51:49Oh, heck.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53After the disappointment
0:51:53 > 0:51:56of the dates of the underwater circular feature,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59the unearthing of these large stones,
0:51:59 > 0:52:01like those found in standing circles,
0:52:01 > 0:52:04could be leading us closer once again
0:52:04 > 0:52:06to the origin of the stone circle cult.
0:52:08 > 0:52:09So, once upon a time,
0:52:09 > 0:52:13there was a stone circle involving these stones, maybe.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17But if this is a stone circle, remnants of a stone circle,
0:52:17 > 0:52:20that's been incorporated into the structure
0:52:20 > 0:52:24and this structure predates the midden mound,
0:52:24 > 0:52:26then what date does that make the stone circles?
0:52:26 > 0:52:27Right.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31Whatever the original function
0:52:31 > 0:52:33of this stone structure beneath the midden,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36it could mean people were building on the Ness
0:52:36 > 0:52:39even earlier than 3500BC.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48You're looking at the skeletal remains, in a way,
0:52:48 > 0:52:51of a big - a very big - stone building.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54That big long stone that's coming towards me
0:52:54 > 0:52:56from the section of the trench,
0:52:56 > 0:52:59and then there's another one going off in a straight line
0:52:59 > 0:53:01and then it disappears
0:53:01 > 0:53:03under the soil and there's...
0:53:03 > 0:53:05It's a big square, or a big rectangle,
0:53:05 > 0:53:08but only fragments of it are revealed at the moment,
0:53:08 > 0:53:12but it's a monumental building.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16This could be the first thing that was on the Ness of Brodgar,
0:53:16 > 0:53:21some great big building that people were aware of and valued.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23But even more difficult to get your head around
0:53:23 > 0:53:26is the fact that these great long stones,
0:53:26 > 0:53:28Nick reckons, might once have been standing stones.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30They're now lying down on their sides
0:53:30 > 0:53:33but once upon a time they were up like the Stones of Stenness.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35So, maybe before even the great big building,
0:53:35 > 0:53:38there was a stone circle here...
0:53:39 > 0:53:43..so we're getting further and further back in time,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46and this could be the reason for the Ness of Brodgar.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49Get your head round that.
0:53:54 > 0:53:55This extraordinary discovery
0:53:55 > 0:53:59throws light on the origins of the Ness and its culture,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02but we still don't know how it came to an end.
0:54:03 > 0:54:08The analysis of the cattle bones may bring another clue.
0:54:08 > 0:54:13Now, you know we took teeth from that fascinating deposit
0:54:13 > 0:54:14of cattle bones,
0:54:14 > 0:54:18and the strontium isotope was analysed.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Well, the results as they come back
0:54:21 > 0:54:26seem to suggest that the cattle are not only all from Orkney
0:54:26 > 0:54:28but they might all be from the same herd.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31- SHE GASPS - Isn't that amazing?
0:54:31 > 0:54:36But I just like the idea that somebody had all that wealth.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39It's almost like it was the royal herd
0:54:39 > 0:54:43or the priesthood's herd that were used for this event
0:54:43 > 0:54:45to close that building.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47- I'll let you tell Nick, Jane. - So, Nick...
0:54:47 > 0:54:51- This is the isotope analysis. - Wow.- ..the results are out.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54- It's all there.- Mm-hm.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57For this to happen at that particular moment in time,
0:54:57 > 0:54:59I think, is of huge significance
0:54:59 > 0:55:01for our understanding of Neolithic economy.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03Yes, major rethink required.
0:55:05 > 0:55:10The isotope analysis reveals up to 400 cattle from one herd
0:55:10 > 0:55:14were killed and the bones roasted in the flames of ritual bonfires.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21It means that the abandonment of the Ness was carefully planned.
0:55:21 > 0:55:26The people who lived here exploited one of their key resources, cattle,
0:55:26 > 0:55:29in a way that was dramatic, even profligate.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34Perhaps, as life across Orkney became more difficult,
0:55:34 > 0:55:38they felt the need to turn to a new way of life.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41These people faced the decision to move on,
0:55:41 > 0:55:45just as the islanders of Swona did 40 years ago.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50After this extraordinary period,
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Orkney lost its influence over mainland Britain
0:55:53 > 0:55:56and, from a southern viewpoint,
0:55:56 > 0:55:57became a far-flung outpost.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01But none of this can undermine the significance
0:56:01 > 0:56:03of the thousand years when the culture of Orkney,
0:56:03 > 0:56:05with the Ness of Brodgar at its heart,
0:56:05 > 0:56:07seems to have dominated Britain.
0:56:11 > 0:56:12It's the last day of the dig
0:56:12 > 0:56:14and we're all looking back on what's been
0:56:14 > 0:56:16an extraordinary summer.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23We've discovered how the Orcadians could have moved the vast megaliths.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30We've revealed how they could have crossed the Pentland Firth.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33It's a funny thing that the only thing between us and the North Sea
0:56:33 > 0:56:34is a bit of cow skin.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38And we've found powerful evidence
0:56:38 > 0:56:41that the people here inspired Stonehenge
0:56:41 > 0:56:44and created Britain's first common culture.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47It's as though in this season
0:56:47 > 0:56:52we finally got back to page one of the Ness of Brodgar story.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59I have read there it's eat at your own risk.
0:57:02 > 0:57:03- Giles, eat it.- Oh, God.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06The archaeologists, volunteers, the team and I
0:57:06 > 0:57:08celebrate with our own final feast.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12- Edible. - LAUGHTER
0:57:12 > 0:57:14One, two, three.
0:57:18 > 0:57:23A tasty Neolithic barbecue of roasted bone marrow.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27One of the most exciting things has been sharing ideas and information
0:57:27 > 0:57:29with the rest of the team.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31You know, things that we've gathered from the archaeologists
0:57:31 > 0:57:33and ideas that we've come up with ourselves.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35Then you throw them onto the table
0:57:35 > 0:57:39and other people chip in and it shapes and forms, I hope,
0:57:39 > 0:57:41a better understanding of what
0:57:41 > 0:57:43Neolithic man was doing in this place
0:57:43 > 0:57:465,500 years ago.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48It really is beautiful here.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51I mean, I've never been to Orkney and, you know,
0:57:51 > 0:57:55the landscapes are...really kind of spark the imagination
0:57:55 > 0:58:00of what life might have been like 5,000-plus years ago.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02LAUGHTER
0:58:08 > 0:58:13From my first sighting of the excavations,
0:58:13 > 0:58:15I was convinced that the Ness of Brodgar
0:58:15 > 0:58:17was uniquely significant,
0:58:17 > 0:58:21and now with the evidence that we've been uncovering this summer,
0:58:21 > 0:58:25the Ness of Brodgar should be a name that people know around the world.