Pettigarths Field Cairn
Pettigarths Field Cairns · Whalsay Cairn
Middle Neolithic·Shetland Neolithic·🇬🇧 Whalsay, Shetland, Scotland, United Kingdom
About
About Pettigarths Field Cairn
Neolithic heel-shaped chambered cairn in the Pettigarths Field complex on Whalsay, c.3500–3000 BCE. The cairn 15 m across encloses a tripartite chamber entered from the concave façade; walls survive to 1.8 m. Part of a coherent settlement landscape with Yoxie building and Benie Hoose, it demonstrates Shetland's heel-cairn tradition distinct from Orkney-Cromarty.
Why it mattersNeolithic heel-shaped chambered cairn in the Pettigarths Field complex on Whalsay, c.3500–3000 BCE. The cairn 15 m across encloses a tripartite chamber entered from the concave façade; walls survive to 1.8 m. Part of a c
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Relation to adjacent domestic structures
Theories
- 01Heel-cairn as settlement cemetery
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3500–3000 BCE
- Period
- Middle Neolithic
- Culture
- Shetland Neolithic
- Purpose
- Heel-shaped chambered cairn
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3500–3000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1417 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
60.3625° N · 0.9785° W · 50 m · 2 mapped features
Heel-shaped chamber
chamberTripartite chamber with concave façade, 6 m long
60.3625° N · 0.9785° WConcave façade
facadeSplayed façade stones marking entrance to chamber
60.3625° N · 0.9786° W