Editing St Kilda, Scotland (section)

=== Prehistoric buildings ===
[[File:St Kilda-2.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins in Gleann Mòr]]

The oldest structures on St Kilda are the most enigmatic. Large [[sheepfold]]s lie inland from the existing village at ''An Lag Bho'n Tuath'' (English: the hollow in the north) and contain curious "boat-shaped" stone rings, or "settings". Soil samples suggest a date of 1850&nbsp;BC, but they are unique to St Kilda, and their purpose is unknown. In Gleann Mòr, (north-west of Village Bay beyond Hirta's central ridge), there are 20 "horned structures", essentially ruined buildings with a main court measuring about {{Convert|3|by|3|m|0}}, two or more smaller cells and a forecourt formed by two curved or horn-shaped walls. Again, nothing like them exists anywhere else in Europe, and their original use is unknown.<ref>Quine (2000) page 91–2.</ref><ref>It is possible they are [[Pict]]ish structures dating from 400 to 900&nbsp;AD. Fleming (2005) page 23.</ref> Also in Gleann Mòr is ''Taigh na Banaghaisgeich'', the "Amazon's House". As Martin (1703) reported, many St Kilda tales are told about this female warrior.

<blockquote>
This Amazon is famous in their traditions: her house or dairy of stone is yet extant; some of the inhabitants dwell in it all summer, though it be some hundred years old; the whole is built of stone, without any wood, lime, earth, or mortar to cement it, and is built in form of a circle pyramid-wise towards the top, having a vent in it, the fire being always in the centre of the floor; the stones are long and thin, which supplies the defect of wood; the body of this house contains not above nine persons sitting; there are three beds or low vaults that go off the side of the wall, a pillar betwixt each bed, which contains five men apiece; at the entry to one of these low vaults is a stone standing upon one end fix'd; upon this they say she ordinarily laid her helmet; there are two stones on the other side, upon which she is reported to have laid her sword: she is said to have been much addicted to hunting, and that in her time all the space betwixt this isle and that of Harries, was one continued tract of dry land.<ref name=Martin/>
</blockquote>

Similar stories of a female warrior who hunted the now-submerged land between the Outer Hebrides and St Kilda are reported from [[Harris, Outer Hebrides|Harris]].<ref>Maclean (1977) pages 27–8.</ref> The structure's forecourt is akin to the other "horned structures" in the immediate area, but like Martin's "Amazon" its original purpose is the stuff of legend rather than archaeological fact.

Much more is known of the hundreds of unique [[Cleit|''cleitean'']] that decorate the archipelago. These dome-shaped structures are constructed of flat boulders with a cap of turf on the top. This enables the wind to pass through the cavities in the wall but keeps the rain out. They were used for storing peat, nets, [[Food grain|grain]], preserved flesh and eggs, manure, and hay, and as a shelter for lambs in winter. The date of origin of this St Kildan invention is unknown, but they were in continuous use from prehistoric times until the 1930 evacuation. More than 1,200 ruined or intact ''cleitean'' remain on Hirta and a further 170 on the neighbouring islands.<ref>Maclean (1977) pages 65–6.</ref><ref>Quine (2000) page 32.</ref> House no. 16 in the modern village has an early Christian stone cross built into the front wall, which may date from the 7th century.<ref>Quine (2000) page 51.</ref>