Skara Brae, Scotland Jul 16, 2024

Nestled along the windswept coastline of the Orkney Islands in Scotland lies one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Europe: Skara Brae. Skara Brae"s ancient stone houses on the Orkney archipelago, pictured here, are one of the oldest Neolithic sites, occupied from roughly 3180 BCE to about 2500 BCE. Exposed by an 1850 storm, this prehistoric marvel is dubbed the "Scottish Pompeii" due to its astonishing preservation—older than Stonehenge and even the Great Pyramids. It consists of a cluster of ten stone-built houses, connected by covered passageways.

© Paul Williams - FunkyStock/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jul 16, 2025Temple of Philae, Aswan, Egypt
July 16, 2026Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 27, 2025Sørvágsvatn lake, island of Vágar, Faroe Islands
June 23, 2026Mount Fuji on Honshu Island, Japan
Mar 7, 2025Plum blossoms, China
Dec 11, 2025The summit of Mount Everest at sunset, seen from Renjo La, Nepal
Sep 19, 2025Thousand Islands region, St. Lawrence River, USA-Canada border
Oct 1, 2023Lake Bled, Slovenia
Dec 16, 2024Salzburg, Austria
Jan 5, 2024Bavarian Alps, Germany
Aug 24, 2024Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, USA
Aug 27, 2023Jeju Island, South Korea
Nov 22, 2025Monte Sirente, Abruzzo, Italy
Oct 12, 2024Wood duck, Quebec, Canada
May 23, 2025Yellow-spotted river turtle, Amazon Region, Ecuador
Jan 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Aug 21, 2024Nazca boobies
Nov 14, 2024Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria, Italy
Jun 25, 2025St. Michaels Church Tower on Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset, England
Apr 24, 2024White trilliums in Ontario, Canada
Mar 3, 2025Yellow-billed hornbills in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Sep 16, 2023Splügen Pass, Switzerland
Sep 16, 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
Jun 19, 2025Beach in Santa Catarina, Brazil
Sep 29, 2025Rainbow houses, Netherlands
Nov 25, 2025Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
Nov 1, 2025Bison, Yellowstone National Park
Apr 19, 2026Mirror Beach, Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil
Jun 11, 2024A group of Southern gemsbok in the savannah, Botswana, USA
Dec 19, 2024Sibiu Christmas Market, Romania
Apr 9, 2024Tulip fields in spring, Skagit Valley, Washington, USA
Oct 23, 2023Corn maze in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, USA