News

Archaeologists in Scotland have uncovered evidence which suggests that prehistoric man may have enjoyed the odd spot of DIY.

Painted walls believed to be around 5,000 years old were discovered by experts at a Neolithic excavation in Orkney last year. The find, made by Dutch archaeologist Anniek Manshande, has been hailed as one of Europe's most astonishing archaeological discoveries.

According to The Scotsman, the "5,000-year-old Dulux" was found at the site of a huge prehistoric cathedral - itself described as "the find of a lifetime". A stone slab painted red, orange and yellow was unearthed at the site, and is seen as the first clear evidence that Neolithic people enjoyed decorating their properties.

"To find coloured Neolithic paint - 5,000-year-old Dulux - is something we never expected to see," Nick Card of the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology told The Scotsman.

"We called in every archaeologist we could to look at it and we all concluded that this is the real deal - the first example from Britain, if not northern Europe, that Neolithic people used paint to decorate their buildings."

It is not clear exactly how the paint was made and applied to surfaces. However, BBC News suspect that it may have been a mixture of iron ore, animal fat, eggs and milk applied with a primitive paint brush.

Fortunately, home improvement methods have evolved somewhat since Neolithic times. The options open to homeowners nowadays are positively endless, with features such as wooden venetian blinds, decorative wallpaper and handmade wall tiles all adding interest to a room's décor.