A 5,000-YEAR-OLD figurine that was feared to have been lost after being discovered in Orkney in the 1860s is back in the hands of historians.
The Neolithic whalebone figurine was originally found at Skara Brae, one of the best preserved groups of prehistoric houses in western Europe.
Dr David Clarke rediscovered the archaeological find, nicknamed Skara Brae Buddo, in a box at Stromness Museum’s collections while undertaking research.
He said: “Amazingly, we found it in the last box of the day. I have always thought this figurine to be lost forever. Seeing it staring back at me from its bed of tissue paper was completely unexpected and very exciting.”
It was donated to the museum without provenance in the 1930s.
Photo courtesy of Dr Hugo Anderson-Whymark
The representation has been carved from a piece of whalebone and measures 9.5cm high by 7.5cm wide. Eyes and a mouth have been cut in the face and the body has a navel, but is otherwise unadorned. Holes through the head and body may have been used to suspend the figurine.
The figurine was originally discovered by William G Watt, the local laird, when excavating a stone bed compartment in House 3 of the Neolithic village.
Watt’s find was briefly described as an “idol” or “fetish” in a report of discoveries at Skara Brae by the antiquarian George Petrie in 1867, but was otherwise only known by a sketch in Petrie’s notebooks, now held in the manuscripts of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
Prehistoric representations of the human form are exceptionally rare in Britain.
This figurine was the first Neolithic example discovered, but was largely forgotten.
It can now be compared with three smaller figurines discovered in recent excavations on the Neolithic settlement at the Links of Noltland, Westray.
Skara Brae Buddo is now being displayed for the first time in Stromness Museum alongside artefacts from Skara Brae that have not previously been displayed.
Kathleen Ireland, chairwoman of Stromness Museum, said: “Stromness Museum has a superb collection of artefacts from Skara Brae, but This figurine has instantly become the new jewel in our collections.
“We are always pleased to welcome researchers and This rediscovery highlights what can be found through painstaking research in museum stores.”
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