August 29 2012

A Neolithic monument which has stood on Orkney for 5,000 years has been recreated in painstaking detail online to allow the curious to tour its structure and chamber from the comfort of their computer screens.

Created using 3D laser scanning data the conservation project the recreation produces images clear enough to show Viking inscriptions carved on its walls in the mid-12th century.

The monument is famous its carefully aligned entrance passage which aligns with the setting sun for three weeks before and after the Winter Solstice – a recreation of which is also incorporated into the tour.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Maeshowe has fascinated people for millennia with its incredible structure, having been built even before Egypt’s great pyramids.  Now, people on the other side of the world can use this new tour to get a better understanding of the ancient and magical history Scotland has on offer.”

Maeshowe forms part of the Scottish Ten project, a collaboration between Historic Scotland, Glasgow School of Art and CyArk to digitally document five national and five international sites of interest.

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