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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Skara Brae
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(Mainland, Orkney) The best preserved *Stone Age village in Europe, kept almost intact by two violent storms. The first of these, in about 2000 BC, is believed to have buried the houses in sand; the second, in 1850, revealed them again. On an island without trees everything was of stone and has survived, including items of furniture such as beds and tables and recessed cupboards. The one-room houses (some seven or eight forming the original village) had earth and rubbish banked up to the top of their stone walls, making them in effect underground shelters in a harsh climate. A drain from each dwelling led to a common sewer.
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