page_title: Prehistoric Shetland
section_title: Mesolithic and Neolithic
hierarchical_section_title: Prehistoric Shetland / Mesolithic and Neolithic
caption_attribution_description: English: Stanydale 'Temple', Mainland, Shetland, Scotland Nederlands: Stanydale 'Temple', Mainland, Shetland, Schotland Dansk: Stanydale 'templet', Mainland, Shetland, Scotland
context_page_description: Prehistoric Shetland refers to a period in the human occupation of the Shetland archipelago of Scotland that was the latter part of these islands' prehistory. The period of prehistory prior to occupation by the genus Homo is part of the geology of Scotland. Although some written records refer to Shetland during the Roman invasions of Scotland, prehistory in Shetland does not end until the later part of the Early Historic Period in Scotland, around AD 900.
  Due to the practice, dating to at least the early Neolithic, of building in stone on virtually treeless islands, Shetland is extremely rich in physical remains of the prehistoric eras and there are over 5,000 archaeological sites all told.
context_section_description: A midden site at West Voe on the south coast of Mainland, dated to 4320-4030 BC, has provided the first evidence of Mesolithic human activity in Shetland. The same site provides dates for early Neolithic activity and finds at Scord of Brouster in Walls have been dated to 3400 BC. This site includes a cluster of six or seven walled fields and three stone circular houses that contains the earliest hoe-blades found so far in Scotland. "Shetland knives" are stone tools that date from this period made from felsite from Northmavine.
  Heel-shaped cairns,  are a style of chambered cairn unique to Shetland, with a particularly large example on the island of Vementry. Staneydale Temple near Bixter is a large Neolithic ruin containing an oval chamber. Around it are the remains of houses, walls and cairns of the same period. There are numerous Neolithic era standing stones including those at Yoxie on Whalsay and at Boardastubble, Unst. Hjaltadans on Fetlar is a ring of stones,  although there are no true stone circles as such in Shetland. Funzie Girt is a remarkable dividing wall that ran for 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) across the island of Fetlar. The level of organisation involved suggest a relatively high population for Shetland in the Neolithic, perhaps as much as 10,000.
caption: Staneydale Temple
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