Which island contains the ancient settlement of Skara Brae, built about 5,000 years ago?

Mainland, Orkney contains Skara Brae, an ancient settlement built about 5,000 years ago.

Skara Brae lies on the Bay of Skaill in Scotland’s Orkney archipelago. The stone village was occupied during the Neolithic period, roughly between 3200 and 2200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Storms exposed the settlement’s remains in 1850.

The preserved houses contain stone beds, dressers, and hearths, offering unusually detailed evidence of domestic life in prehistoric northern Europe. “Mainland” here means the largest island of Orkney, not Great Britain’s mainland. The island is also home to Neolithic monuments such as the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness, forming part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.