Braeside represents the settlement side of Eday's prehistoric landscape.
While Orkney is internationally famous for monumental tombs and stone circles, settlements such as Braeside are equally important because they reveal how ordinary people lived within the society that created those monuments.
Neolithic Settlement
Neolithic communities established permanent or semi-permanent settlements.
Houses could contain:
hearths;
sleeping areas;
workspaces;
storage;
and cooking facilities.
Agriculture
Farming transformed prehistoric life.
Communities cultivated crops and raised livestock.
Cattle and sheep were particularly important.
Agriculture provided food while also producing materials such as:
wool;
hides;
bone;
and horn.
Domestic Technology
Neolithic households used a range of tools.
Stone tools could include:
axes;
knives;
scrapers;
grinding stones;
and points.
Pottery provided containers for:
cooking;
storage;
and food preparation.
Food
People ate a combination of agricultural and wild foods.
Their diet could include:
grains;
dairy products;
meat;
shellfish;
fish;
and wild resources.
Island Communities
Eday's location encouraged interaction with neighboring islands.
Boats allowed people to transport goods and communicate across the archipelago.
Social Organization
Settlement construction demonstrates cooperation.
People had to organize:
food production;
building;
animal management;
tool manufacture;
and communal activities.
Relationship With Monuments
Settlements should not be separated from nearby monuments.
The people who lived in houses were the same communities participating in burial and ceremonial traditions.
Conclusion
Braeside: Eday's Neolithic Settlement provides a valuable perspective on everyday prehistoric life.
Its significance lies in showing that Neolithic Orkney was not simply a landscape of impressive monuments.
It was a living agricultural society made up of households, farms, workers, craftspeople, and families whose daily activities supported the extraordinary monumental traditions of the islands.
