New Discovery at Maeshowe

That the Parliament notes with interest new research carried out by the University of the Highlands and Islands that has developed a greater understanding of the purpose of the design of the iconic Stone Age tomb, Maeshowe, in Orkney; understands that the study has discovered that the side chambers to the tomb are stylistically upside down from the main chamber, leading researchers to believe that they were built as inverted netherworlds specifically designed for the dead to enter the afterlife; acknowledges that this research may provide an explanation for why other Neolithic stone-built monuments were constructed in similar ways; believes that this revelation has therefore made a significant contribution to the field of archaeology and the wider understanding of the Neolithic age as a whole; congratulates Jay van der Reijden, a Masters by Research student at the university’s Archaeology Institute, on her hard work and efforts to lead the investigation, and notes that her findings have been published in the Archaeological Review from Cambridge; wishes Jay all the very best for her future research, and hopes that there will be many more secrets revealed from Maeshowe in years to come.