14 DAY TRIAL // This past Wednesday, researchers with Historic Scotland announced the discovery of what appears to be an ancient sauna or steam house on the island of Westray in Orkney, an archipelago off Scotland’s northeastern coast.
The sauna is one of over 30 buildings unearthed at this archaeological site, estimated to date back to around 4,000 BC to 1,000 BC. Middens and cemeteries have also been found in the region, proof that a community once thrived in the area.
The sauna was probably used in rituals
Specialists who have had the chance to inspect it say the recently unearthed prehistoric sauna was built during the Bronze Age. It comprises a network of cells and comes complete with a water tank that was used to create Steam.
The building was probably used in spiritual ceremonies or rites of passage, researchers add. Then again, it could also be that it was a healing place or that women came here to deliver children.
“Experts believe it had a very specialized function and was used by select groups for activities such as rites of passage or spiritual ceremonies,” Historic Scotland writes in a report detailing the find.
“It's also possible that the building could have been used as a sweat house or sauna, for a number of activities ranging from basic healing and cleaning, or as a place where women could come to give birth,” the report further reads.
Interestingly, researchers say it might also be that this steam house was a place where the sick or the elderly spent their last days, or where the bodies of the dead were kept before burial.
A less spiritual and moving theory is that the building wasn't so much a sauna or a steam house as it was an oversized kitchen of sorts, and that the hot water was simply used to cook loads of food.
How did they make hot water millennia ago?
In this day and age, hot water isn't exactly difficult to come by, at least not for people lucky enough to enjoy the benefits of indoor plumbing. Just turn on the faucet and there you have it.
In ancient times, however, folks had to make their own hot water. In the recently discovered steam house on the island of Westray in Scotland’s Orkney archipelago, they did so by burning rocks and then dropping them into the water tank unearthed by archaeologists.
Being incredibly hot, the burnt rocks would not only heat the water but also produce a whole lot of steam when dropped into the tank. According to a previous investigation, Neanderthals used the same method to make their own hot water for indoor use.
