John Paul stands on the barren, wind-swept Orkney Islands. This is one of the most exciting archaeological spots in the world - with over 1,000 ancient sites on the islands and excavations that have unearthed massive and sophisticated structures dating back at least to 3,500BC. Most of the structures here are puzzling- we know little about who made them or why so many were built in such a seemingly remote place 5,500 years ago.

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In the middle of the main island is Mine Howe, a pre-historic subterranean man-made chamber. The team members take their places on a medicine wheel which John Paul inscribes on the land outside. An archaeologist standing in the East introduces the history and current theories of Neolithic times, a Geologist in the South is ready to examine the physical evidence of these sites and an Orkney Island story-teller is poised to offer legends and stories that will shed meaning on the investigations. Standing in the North John Paul asks for permission and guidance from the ancient spirits of this place. He also performs a smudging (cleansing) ceremony. Unlike during the previous rituals, John Paul adds a layer of protection for the team.

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The archaeologist says this is not a typical Orkney site. Despite an extensive excavation by the BBC Time Team, no-one has discerned its purpose. The team descends the stairs into the gloomy depths where at the bottom they encounter a long stone chamber. John Paul expects the team members will get the shivers; this is not a happy place. The storyteller says there are no particular stories of Mine Howe but it is known as a place to avoid. Was Mine Howe a prison? The geologist examines the properties of the stone and water. 

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John Paul describes how during a previous visit, he tuned in and met a keeper from the near-by Ness of Brodgar who was ‘stationed’ here. He explained this is a powerful healing place where people could atone for their misdeeds and be cleansed. They were required to stay in the bottom of chamber until the earth absorbed their bad energy, and they could not leave until they were healed. Some never left. Climbing back up, the team will be greatly relieved to see the sun and feel the wind again.

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The Neolithic village of Skara Brae is the oldest excavated Neolithic village in Europe. The archaeologist is excited- this site will tell us a lot about the people who lived here 5,500 years ago, before the pyramids or Stonehenge were built. The residents seem to have constructed the eight dwellings from the same plan; each has a spacious room with a central hearth, a table and two large stone boxes that were probably filled with fleeces and grasses to create beds. A conspicuous feature in each house is an impressive stone structure often described as being a dresser but which could have been an altar. Archaeologists have found many artefacts here including needles, knives, shovels, ropes made from heather, ivory pins and Spanish pottery. The artefacts tell us these people were farmers but also that they were involved in trade from as far away as Africa. The dwellings were covered by an earth bank which provided insulation and were linked by covered passageways so people could visit each other without going outside - a sophisticated way to provide social cohesion when living in such an extreme environment. A debate ensues with about some assumptions put forth by archaeologists.

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The drainage wells contained ancient human excrement - are these the world’s earliest known toilets? The storyteller asks about the beads from a necklace that were found scattered along a hallway. Why did the inhabitants leave valuable items behind? Did they leave in a hurry? Our archaeologist says it’s one of the mysteries of the islands. John Paul describes having met an iron age resident peering out of what was her window. She saw him as well and during the conversation that ensued, she said people from our current time often appear to her outside this corner of her house. She told him that the residents here were graduates of the nearby Ness of Brodgar Neolithic university. She had just had a visit from a trader and proudly showed off her new brightly coloured blanket. She explained the lay-out of the village which contradicts some of the conventional archaeological explanations. Given a similar scenario, the archaeologist will ask many questions and will have new theories to investigate. John Paul explains that the villager was unable to describe what happened to make the residents leave because she lived before that occurred.

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The spirit villager had suggested that John Paul visit a women’s place, the Stones of Ava, so he did and now he takes the team there. On a private farm are several standing stones which the archaeologist estimates were erected around 2,000 BCE. Our storyteller says these standing stones represent a place of dreaming and healing. John Paul describes how he contacted one of the women working here. She showed him the spring used for bathing. The women gathered here to sleep and dream together at the stones. They were given dreams as guidance for actions to be taken in the physical world.  

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Pursuing the topic of wise women, John Paul takes the team to a small grouping of ruins collectively called Barnhouse Village. Our archaeologist tells us this site was inhabited 450 years before Skara Brae. Previously, John Paul contacted a wise female spirit who explained that this was an ancient school for wise women who immersed themselves in the mysteries of energy and nature. The geologist is intrigued about the proximity of this site to the adjacent standing stones of Stenness. 

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In the second week the team investigates three tombs that reveal the unique relationship to death and the afterlife held and practiced by this society of Neolithic Orkney. The first is Cuween; a small stone cairn in the top of a man-made hill. The team members crawl into the central chamber which was excavated in 1901 and in which about 8 human and 24 dog skulls were found. John Paul had communicated with a spirit student from the Ness of Brodgar who explained that the elders, by choice, resided here after death so they could be consulted by the community – ensuring that their wisdom and experience were not lost at the point of death. John Paul also met the spirit of a farmer who had chosen to remain in the cairn as he was an expert on handling insect invasions.  The storyteller and John Paul make a daily visit to this tomb to speak with other ancient spirits.

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Traversoe Tuick is another constructed mound dating to approximately 3,000BCE. The archaeologist is excited to explore this rare two storied tomb - however it is not certain that the entire structure functioned as a tomb as the bones of only five people were found here plus some cremated remains. A young female spirit who was in the lower chamber tending to the bones told John Paul this is where people were taught how to communicate with their ancestors. The bones of the ancestors were kept on the ground floor and then brought upstairs to commune with their relatives. The geologist reveals facts about the reliance on stone for building lasting constructions.

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The last tomb is Ibister Cairn, the Tomb of the Eagles. One by one, the team members lie on their backs on a trolley and pull themselves into the tomb. Archaeologists found many bones here of people and of eagles. John Paul had met a guard who related that this was an area for sky burials. When the bones were clean, they were brought here and, similar to the tradition at Cuween, the dead could elect to stay to be consulted by the living or have their bones ground up and used as fertiliser. 

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The team members gather back at the Medicine Wheel outside of Mine Howe. All four take their places on the wheel and share their new wisdom about the culture that thrived here in Neolithic times. As John Paul thanks the ancient spirits of these sites, everyone reflects on what has changed and grown in their understanding of this culture and its customs and way of life.