Description
Book SynopsisIn 3200 BC, Orkney Island off the coast of Northern Scotland was home to a small farming village called Skara Brae. For reasons unknown, after nearly six centuries of continuous habitation, the village was abandoned around 2600 BC and its stone structures covered over--perhaps deliberately, like the structures at Gobekli Tepe. Although now well-excavated, very little is known about the peaceful people who lived at Skara Brae or their origins. Who were they and where did they go?
Drawing on his in-depth knowledge of the connections between the cosmology and linguistics of Egyptian, Dogon, Chinese, and Vedic traditions, Laird Scranton reveals the striking similarities between Skara Brae and the Dogon of Mali, who still practice the same cosmology and traditions they once shared with pre-dynastic Egypt. He shows how the earliest Skara Brae houses match the typical Dogon stone house as well as Schwaller de Lubicz’s intrepretation of the Egyptian Temple of Man at Luxor. He explains how megalithic stone sites near Skara Brae conform to Dogon cosmology, each representing sequential stages of creation as described by Dogon priests, and he details how the houses at Skara Brae also represent a concept of creation. Citing a linguistic phenomenon known as “ultraconserved words,” the author compares words of the Faroese language at Skara Brae, a language with no known origin, with important cosmological words from Dogon and ancient Egyptian traditions, finding obvious connections and similarities.
Trade Review“Antiquarian scholar Laird Scranton has done it again. In his latest book,
The Mystery of Skara Brae, he takes the reader to one of the most remote locations in the British Isles, then proceeds to lay out the heretofore unknown story of a well-organized yet mysterious culture that flourished off the western coast of Scotland, only to decamp forever around 2600 BCE. Who were the inhabitants of Skara Brae, and what connection did they have with the peoples who went on to create ancient Egypt? What knowledge did they share with the ancient African tribe the Dogon? Where did they come from, and to where did they disappear? Scranton guides us through time and tradition in an account that both novices and scholars will embrace. . . . marvelous and highly educational. I would recommend it unhesitatingly to anyone interested in ancient mysteries.” * Peter Robbins, coauthor of Left at East Gate *
“If you are interested in ancient mysteries, then you must read the writings of Laird Scranton. . . .
The Mystery of Skara Brae is a welcome addition to his amazing library of work. Connections between ancient cultures that would not seem to be related at first glance have long fascinated me, and no one explores these connections better than Laird, both in his scholarship and level of detail. If you want to explore the evidence on the eerie similarities between ancient civilizations, get your copy of
The Mystery of Skara Brae today.” * Jim Harold, host of The Paranormal Podcast *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Some Thoughts on Comparative Cosmology
1 A Brief History of Skara Brae
2 Footholds to a Theory of Origin for Skara Brae
3 Reexamining Skara Brae in Overview
4 Comparing Skara Brae and Dogon Structures
5 Dogon, Egyptian, and Faroese Words of Cosmology
6 Cosmological Sites of the Orkney Region
7 The Dogon Field of Arou
8 The Field of Arou and the Elysian Fields
9 Further Correlations to Faroese Words
10 Argat: An Ancient Name for Orkney Island
11 Orkney Island as an Archaic Sanctuary
12 The Overthrown Boat
13 Reconsidering Possible Roles for Orkney Island
14 The Emergence of Dynastic Egypt
15 The Advent of the Egyptian Hieroglyphs
16 Correlating Regional Kingships at 3000 BCE
17 Seshat and the Egyptian House of Life
18 Views on the Papae and the Peti
19 Words of the Scottish-Gaelic Language
20 The Druids and Other Pieces of the Puzzle
21 The Hindu Parable of the Seven Houses
22 The Egyptian Tale of the “Seven Houses in the Other World”
23 Conclusions and Observations
Notes Bibliography Index
