Description
The monument consists of Isbister chambered cairn, a burial place of Neolithic date. It is popularly known as "The Tomb of the Eagles".
The cairn lies on the edge of cliffs on the E coast of South Ronaldsay. It is oval externally, about 20m N-S by 12m. The E side has been partly eroded, taking with it the original outer end of the entrance passage. This passage is very low, and leads into an interior of elongated rectangular plan. The interior arrangements are unusual, with both upright slabs dividing it into 5 "stalls" and three ancillary chambers opening from the main one. The cairn was excavated between 1958 and 1978, and has recently been capped and turfed over to allow for its preservation and display.
Externally, the cairn is surrounded by a masonry wall at a distance of 9m to 10m, and between this and the cairn proper is a rubble mound or platform. A curving wall runs N from near the N end of the cairn proper, curving gently to the E.
Finds from the excavation are mainly in the Tankerness House museum in Kirkwall, and included large numbers of human bones (representing at least 338 individuals, and probably more), a range of pottery and various stone implements. Of particular interest were bones representing at least 5 carcasses of the white-tailed or sea eagle, which were suggested as a totemic deposit.
The area to be scheduled is that in the care of Orkney Islands Council, and is defined by a fence with 5 sides. The E side is approximately 41m, the S side 26m, the SW side 38m, the NW side 25m and the NE side 20m, to enclose the cairn, its surrounding wall and platform and the spur wall. The area is indicated in red on the accompanying map.