The Ness of Brodgar Excavations

The putative passageway (or is it a recess?) between Structures Twelve and Twenty Six, as recorded by Professor Scott Pike this afternoon. Click on the images for a larger version.

Day Sixteen ‘An absolute sea of orthostats’ We had the first of our Ness Open Days yesterday and the site and the Stenness Community Centre were inundated with visitors. It was great fun but a little tiring, as can be seen this morning from the general air of lassitude which …

A selection of pictures from today’s open day from Jo Bourne and Sigurd Towrie. Click on any image for a larger version.

Day Fifteen Definitely a ‘Special Sunday’ Well, dear readers, that has been a truly marvellous day. Almost 800 visitors attended the first of our “Special Sunday” open days and the sun itself even made an appearance! Thank you to all who turned out for the tours and activities on site …

Three drone pictures from Professor Scott Pike of today’s Special Sunday open day. Click on the images for a larger version.

The Ness of Brodgar excavation featured in the February 2018 edition of Current Archaeology magazine. But such was the demand that all printed copies sold out quickly. However, thanks to the good folk at Current Archaeology, there is a PDF of the article for those who were unable to secure …

In a week that saw Structure Eight produce numerous examples of decorated stone, we also received a number of photographs of Ness artefacts that have undergone conservation work by experts on the Scottish mainland. Among these were three of the decorated slab recovered from Structure Eight on August 17, 2015. …

Wednesday, August 7, 2013, was a special day in the history of the Ness of Brodgar excavations. That was the day our only example of a carved stone ball was found at the Ness. Over 200 carved stone balls have been found in Scotland. Roughly the size of an orange …

Open and on-site for the duration of the dig is the visitor gift shop. The shop is there to raise much-needed funds for the dig. This year it has been my good fortune to come to the Ness and look after the shop for the summer. Less than two weeks …

Day Fourteen Revelations and cloud dodging Oh what would we give for a day of uninterrupted excavation! Thursday dawned bright and reasonably clear and as the morning wore on the site and digger alike basked in the warmth of the sun. Then it went wrong. Clouds rolled in and within …

Perhaps not as grand as the examples earlier this week, but another decorated stone slab was found in Structure Eight today. The incised decoration is essentially the same “classic” banded design featured on Monday’s stone very ephemeral and faint.

Rain brought excavation to a halt early today. But here’s a selection of pictures. Click on a thumbnail for a larger version. Photographs by Jo Bourne and Sigurd Towrie.