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Ages of Man and Tomb of Eagles<br />
Page 32 Top: The 3000-year-old<br />
Liddle Mound Bronze Age site.<br />
Below: The original stones of the<br />
tomb creating the chambers within<br />
it (note the concrete roof).<br />
Above: The Visitor Centre. The Tomb<br />
of the Eagles is well-signposted<br />
and easy to locate.<br />
Photographs taken by the author,<br />
James Hendrie.<br />
Further Information<br />
tomboftheeagles.co.uk<br />
16,000 Human Bones<br />
Today a concrete cover helps to protect the<br />
cairn from the elements and skylights allow<br />
some natural light in. Ronnie Simison found<br />
much in the cairn, including human skulls and<br />
eagle remains. Perhaps to remind visitors,<br />
there are a number of skulls on the wall of one<br />
of the side chambers. Staggeringly 16,000<br />
human bones were found, yet there was not a<br />
single complete skeleton, adding to the<br />
mystery of its use.<br />
Animal bones were also found both inside<br />
and outside which experts believe suggests<br />
that while the cairn was used for burials, it<br />
would also have been used for ceremonies<br />
during the year. Over four stones of assorted<br />
pottery was also found coming from many<br />
different pots. Bones and talons of 14 Sea<br />
Eagles were found leading to both speculation<br />
and naming.<br />
Some suggest the eagle was a special animal<br />
to the original builders, but then others point<br />
to recent research suggesting that the feathers<br />
may have been added to the site a thousand<br />
years aer it ceased to be used. To complete<br />
our visit, the near pea-soup fog surrounded<br />
us. In a way it provided the opportunity for<br />
reflection on a unique site and gratitude to its<br />
discoverer.<br />
Shared the Secrets<br />
He clearly appreciated its significance and<br />
must have been frustrated by the apparent<br />
lack of interest by the authorities to excavate.<br />
Having endured 20 years of inaction by<br />
them, he set about the job and formed<br />
partnerships with experts. Ronnie and<br />
Morgan have shared the ‘secrets’ of the cairn<br />
with countless visitors initially from their<br />
farmhouse conservatory.<br />
Now family members continue their<br />
involvement from the Visitor Centre which<br />
opened in 2002. Ronnie received an MBE<br />
and poignantly as a memorial to both of<br />
them, there is a stone erected at the site of the<br />
Tomb of the Eagles.<br />
34 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER NOVEMBER / DECEMBER <strong>2016</strong>
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