Cladh Hallan is an archaeological site on the island of South Uist. It is significant as the only place in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found. Excavations were carried out there between 1988 and 2002, indicating the site was occupied from 2000 BC.

In 2001, a team of archaeologists found four skeletons at the site, one of them a male who had died ca. 1600 BC, and another a female who had died ca. 1300 BC. At first the researchers did not realise they were dealing with mummies, since the soft tissue had decomposed and the skeletons had been buried. But tests revealed that both bodies had not been buried until about 1120 BC, and that the bodies had been preserved shortly after death in a peat bog for 6 to 18 months. The preserved bodies were then apparently retrieved from the bog and set up inside a dwelling, presumably having religious significance. Archaeologists do not know why the bodies were buried centuries later. The Cladh Hallan skeletons differ from most bog bodies in two respects: unlike most bog bodies, they appear to have been put in the bog for the express purpose of preservation (whereas most bog bodies were simply interred in the bog), and unlike most bog bodies, their soft tissue was no longer preserved at the time of discovery.

The skeletons and other finds are being analysed in laboratories in Scotland, England and Wales. Following the provisions of the Treasure Trove Act, all the finds from Cladh Hallan, including the skeletons, will be allocated to a Scottish museum after the lengthy process of analysis and reporting is completed. According to recent anthropological and DNA-analysis the skeletons of a female and a male were compiled from body parts of at least 6 different human individuals.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 2000 BC
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in United Kingdom

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Andy Saxby (12 months ago)
Fascinating site, well worth taking the time to visit. The uist unearthed app is a must to download prior to visiting, it really enhances a visit and is very informative
Duncan Watt (2 years ago)
A pleasant walk out through the sand dunes dodging the rabbit holes to have a look at the site of the round houses. Not much to see and only a couple of info boards to let you know what you are looking at, interesting nonetheless. Just got to wonder what else the drifting sand has buried in this area.
Will Hawkins (2 years ago)
The ancient remains of roundhouses are interesting enough. But walk beyond them them to the beach, and you might be lucky enough to spot an otter! Spot the otter in the video.
Nick Fox (4 years ago)
Download the uist unearthed app before you go (it's 70mb or so). It's an augmented reality app that'll show you what the roundhouse would have looked like at the time.
David Van (4 years ago)
Amazing with the Uist Unearthed app, which let's you see the buildings as they would have existed and even walk around inside of them.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Rosenborg Castle

Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.

The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.

Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.