How was Skara Brae revealed in 1850?

A storm stripped away covering sand and grass

What kind of furniture survives in the houses?

Stone dressers, beds and hearths

Skara Brae Quiz: Orkney's Stone Age Village by the Sea

A fierce storm in 1850 stripped the grass off a dune on the Bay of Skaill and exposed a village of stone houses, and this Skara Brae quiz explores what was found inside. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on furniture made of stone, covered passages, Grooved Ware pottery, V. Gordon Childe, the Ring of Brodgar and the UNESCO listing.

Start Skara Brae Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Location
On which Scottish island group is Skara Brae?
Storm
How was Skara Brae revealed in 1850?
Age
Roughly when was Skara Brae occupied?
Furniture
What kind of furniture survives in the houses?
Passages
How were the houses connected?
Pottery
What style of pottery was found at Skara Brae?
Excavator
Which archaeologist led excavations in the late 1920s?
Laird
Which local landowner first dug at the site after the storm?
UNESCO
Which UNESCO site includes Skara Brae?
Neighbors
Which stone circle is part of the same World Heritage Site?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: On which Scottish island group is Skara Brae?
Answer: Orkney
It lies on the west coast of Orkney's Mainland.
Q2: How was Skara Brae revealed in 1850?
Answer: A storm stripped away covering sand and grass
Wind and waves exposed the stone walls.
Q3: Roughly when was Skara Brae occupied?
Answer: About 3200 to 2500 BCE
It is older than Stonehenge's great stones and the Great Pyramid.
Q4: What kind of furniture survives in the houses?
Answer: Stone dressers, beds and hearths
Orkney had few trees, so people built furniture from flagstone.
Q5: How were the houses connected?
Answer: By covered stone passages
The roofed passageways sheltered people from harsh weather.
Q6: What style of pottery was found at Skara Brae?
Answer: Grooved Ware
Grooved Ware is linked to late Neolithic Britain.
Q7: Which archaeologist led excavations in the late 1920s?
Answer: V. Gordon Childe
Childe's work revealed the village layout.
Q8: Which local landowner first dug at the site after the storm?
Answer: William Watt of Skaill
He uncovered several houses in the 1860s.
Q9: Which UNESCO site includes Skara Brae?
Answer: Heart of Neolithic Orkney
It was listed in 1999 with nearby monuments.
Q10: Which stone circle is part of the same World Heritage Site?
Answer: Ring of Brodgar
The site also includes the Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe.

Skara Brae Quiz – A Stone Age Village by the Sea

Skara Brae is a Neolithic village on the Bay of Skaill in Orkney, Scotland. People lived there from about 3200 to 2500 BCE, making it older than the Great Pyramid of Giza.

A storm in 1850 exposed the stone houses, and local laird William Watt dug into them. Archaeologist V. Gordon Childe excavated the site in the late 1920s. Because Orkney had few trees, residents made stone dressers, box beds and hearths, and connected houses with covered passages.

Finds include Grooved Ware pottery and tools. Skara Brae is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, listed in 1999, with the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe.

What This Quiz Teaches

History lovers and travelers will enjoy these questions.

Where Skara Brae is
How it was found
How old it is
What furniture survives
Which sites share its listing

Did You Know?

Rising seas and erosion threaten the site.
A replica house helps visitors imagine life inside.
Skaill House stands nearby.
Some houses had drains for waste.
The village was likely abandoned gradually.