From The Herald: Orkney discovery may be the first farm in Britain. [Update: page no longer available.]
Wooden structures unearthed on an archaeological dig in Orkney could be the oldest farm settlements in Britain.
The find, off the main road from Kirkwall to Stromness, may also shed light on one of the most disputed subjects in archaeology.
For decades, archaeologists have argued about the exact timescale and nature of the so-called farming revolution - when early societies made the transition from hunting and gathering to farming - thousands of years ago.
The discovery of the Orkney structures could greatly contribute to knowledge of the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, period, adding to the evidence for a settled lifestyle in villages and farmsteads on the island dating back at least 6000 years.
Dr Colin Richards, of Manchester University, led the excavation which shatters previous thinking about society during the New Stone Age, and could produce some of the earliest dates for settlement on the islands.
He said: "The houses in Orkney are all made of stone and we just never expected that we would find wooden buildings.
"It was amazing, especially when you consider that there wasn't much in the way of wood at that time on Orkney as it was treeless. [continue]
Related link:
Orkney Jar: Archaeology News