2022’s top ten: second set of ‘Great Wall’ steps
The 2018 excavation in Trench J revealed what look curiously like a set of steps tied into the inner face of the northern boundary wall – the “Great Wall of… Read more
Author: Sigurd
Wednesday wildlife – Stenness selkies
The weather’s not been particularly conducive for photography these past few weeks, but Nick dodged the showers at the weekend to capture these shots of seals in the Stenness loch… Read more
2022’s top ten: Structure Twenty-Seven’s north-western wall
As 2022 ticks away, we thought it would be a fine time to look back over our favourite finds and discoveries over the year.
We’ve selected ten and will post… Read more
The Stonehall settlement – part three
Excavated over a five-year period, the Stonehall Farm section was the most extensive area of the Neolithic settlement site - “a third location of early Neolithic settlement running parallel with the occupation of Stonehall Knoll and Meadow. Read more
Pitchstone flake brings Ness total to 47
A flake of Arran pitchstone from the analysis of environmental samples from Structure Eight has brought the total from the Ness to 47. Read more
The Stonehall settlement – part two
The section of the Neolithic settlement designated Stonehall Meadow was an area of mounds to the north-east of the Stonehall Knoll, where excavation revealed four Neolithic structures, three of which were in a poor state of preservation. Read more
‘Landscapes Revealed’ shortlisted for Current Archaeology Book of the Year
The UHI Archaeology Institute’s book Landscapes Revealed: geophysical survey in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Area, 2002-2011 has been nominated for Book of the Year in the Current… Read more
Ness dig helps earn Orkney a place on Best UK Places to visit list
Next year’s excavation at the Ness of Brodgar is among the attractions that have earned Orkney a place on the “15 best places to visit in the UK in 2023”.… Read more
The Stonehall settlement – part one
Lying in the shadow of the Cuween chambered cairn, the Stonehall settlement lies a few miles to the west of Crossiecrown, Wideford Hill and Smerquoy. Read more
Structure Twenty-Seven – updated and expanded
This summer we returned to Trench T for the first time since 2019.
There, the focus was on Structure Twenty-Seven, a large building that had been badly robbed of stone… Read more
New paper: Life and death of sheep and deer at the Ness of Brodgar
A new paper on the faunal remains from the Ness of Brodgar is available now. Read more
The Smerquoy Neolithic settlement
Five years after the Wideford Hill settlement excavations, fieldwalking along the hill’s south-western base recovered tantalising evidence a second Neolithic settlement on low ground beneath the nearby chambered cairn. Read more
Wednesday wildlife – early morning expedition
This week’s pictures from around the lochs by site director Nick Card.… Read more
Howe, Stromness – a hub of Neolithic and Iron Age activity
Ahead of planned agricultural improvements, the prehistoric site at Howe was excavated from 1978 until 1982 – an operation that revealed a complex series of occupation episodes spanning the Neolithic to Iron Age. Read more
Wednesday widlife – running, bathing, sitting and surfing
This week’s selection of wildlife photographs from around the Ness of Brodgar by site director Nick Card.
… Read more
Wideford Hill settlement – the first evidence of Neolithic timber structures
The Wideford Hill settlement, in use from c3600-2900BC, lies at the north-western foot of the hill, south-west of Crossiecrown and east of the Stonehall settlement. Its discovery and excavation in 2002-2003 revealed a missing chapter from the biography of Neolithic Orkney – timber houses. Read more
