The Cladh Hallan prehistoric mummies

The prehistoric settlement of Cladh Hallan near Daliburgh in South Uist is one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in the UK.

Dug down into the sandy machair, the cluster of three round housesdating back to the Bronze Age (2000BC) yielded a huge amount of artifacts during their 20 year excavation, offering a unique window in the life of prehistoric island dwellers. Entered in by a low passage-way, the round houses featured central fireplaces, sleeping platforms, sunken storage areas, internal water tanks and were used for a wide range of activities including metal and hide working during six different phases of occupation.

The most surprising discovery was that of bodies buried under the round houses’ floor: two of them revealed to be the mummies of a man and a woman buried in a foetal position 300 to 600 years after their death! Long before their under-floor burial, the bodies had first been buried in the peat bogs to preserve them. The mummified bodies were also found to include the body parts of at least six different individuals, articulated as they would be in life but dating back from different periods from 1440 BC to 1600 BC!

The remarkable discovery certainly ‘upset our conventional understanding', bringing a new light on ancient ancestor worship, said archaeologist Mike Person who worked on the site from 1988 to 2002. An augmented reality digital reconstruction of this fascinating site can be explored through the downloadable app Ulaidhean Uibhist (Uist Unhearthed).

More information on visiting the area can be found here.