Maeshowe Cairn Colouring

Maeshowe is a remarkable Neolithic chambered cairn on Mainland, the largest island of Orkney in northern Scotland. People built it around 2800 BCE, more than four thousand years ago, using huge slabs of local sandstone. From outside it looks like a round grassy mound surrounded by a ditch, but a low entrance opens into a passage about 10 metres long. Some passage walls are formed from single stones weighing as much as three tonnes. The passage leads to a tall central chamber with carefully built stone walls, great upright corner stones and three small side cells. Archaeologists call it a chambered cairn because it combines a stone chamber with a mound. Human remains found there show that it had a funerary purpose, although its exact ceremonies and meanings are still unknown. Maeshowe's most magical feature comes from careful planning rather than a fairy tale. For several weeks around the winter solstice, the setting sun can shine along the sloping passage and light the back wall of the chamber. This alignment connects the dark tomb with the turning of the seasons. Many centuries later, Norse visitors entered the cairn and carved runic messages into the walls. Those marks are important history, but this page focuses on the much older Neolithic building. Maeshowe now forms part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. In this colouring scene, the mound is opened like a classroom model so you can see the stone passage and chamber without any darkness. Begin with pale grey, sandy beige or warm brown for the sandstone blocks. Use a slightly different shade on the giant upright stones so their size is easy to notice. Colour the turf with spring green, olive or golden autumn grass, and make the distant Orkney hills soft green or purple. The water can be blue or turquoise, the low wall grey-brown and the seabird white with grey wings. Try long strokes across the grassy mound and short strokes around the individual stones. Leave the chamber floor light and add only gentle shadows under the roof slabs. A peach or orange sky can suggest the winter sunset that travels down the ancient passage.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.