Painted Stones by Painted People

The story is reported in The Scotsman (but see also http://news.scotsman.com/news/Neolithic-stone-network-found-on.6454132.jp ) stones painted with patterns such as zigzags and chevrons have been found in the Orkneys. The use of colour has been suspected but this is the first tangible evidence of it yet found in an megalithic structure in Britain. It occurs in Sardinian megaliths (as reported a couple of weeks ago) and now it has been found in the far north. One of the stones found last week was painted a purple/red colour and another, yellow/red. There is evidence of personal adornment as well (usually the colour of blue) and TC Lethbridge, many years ago, actually wrote a book on the northern isles with the title, The Painted People. Unfortunately, it included a lot of conjecture – but he was an archaeologist.