From the Art Hut – Hooked on the Neolithic
By Jeanne Bouza Rose
In the early 2000s, I got hooked on the Neolithic at the Ness. In 2012, both supplies and volunteers were in short supply. That is hard… Read more
Author: Sigurd
Axes, maceheads and ‘Great Wall’ revelations
Diary – Thursday, July 23, 2020
Day Fourteen
The second week of the 2012 season got under way with the discovery of a human tooth inside Structure Ten.
The single… Read more
From the Art Hut – it’s all about people
By Karen Wallis
My work is about human activity, whereas the focus at the Ness is on the evidence provided by objects – either the finds themselves or the structure… Read more
Rare bone pins, rarer wood and an enigmatic annexe from above
Diary – Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Day Thirteen
The first week of the 2011 excavation season ended on July 22, with the discovery of a stone ball – not the… Read more
Otter’s starring role in this week’s Wednesday wildlife
This week’s selection of photographs from the camera of dig director Nick Card.
Click on any image for a larger version.… Read more
Coloured pottery, a Bronze Age arrowhead and an ‘eyebrow’ motif – a day of firsts for the Ness
Diary – Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Day Twelve
Colour was the theme on this day nine years ago.
Not only did we have another coloured stone within the walls of… Read more
GIS – recording finds on a 3D site map
Alette recording find positions with the Total Station. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
The position of everything found during excavation is recorded digitally in three dimensions. You will know that is what… Read more
Human arm bone added to list of Structure Ten buttress deposits
Diary – Monday, July 20, 2020Day Eleven
2011: Ray reveals the first hints of the third hearth in Structure Eight. (📷 ORCA)
There’s nothing like sifting through our archives to… Read more
Focus on finds: pumice
Pumice, a by-product of volcanic eruptions, played a significant role in Neolithic life, often used for its abrasive qualities. Read more
Awe and wonder in an age of reason – taking visitors to the Ness of Brodgar excavations
By Peter Yeoman
The greatest thing about a visit to the Ness is that it peoples the landscape of deep time, in a way that other prehistoric sites on Orkney… Read more
Threshold disappointment and a new rock art design revealed
Diary – Friday, July 17, 2020
Day Ten
It was day two on this day in 2012 and although the uncovering process had gone remarkably quickly, site… Read more
From the Art Hut – How and why the Ness and the Neolithic are in my paintings
By Jeanne Bouza Rose
I was leaving the heat of New York State and coming to Orkney for my summer holidays sometime in the early 2000s, having been drawn into… Read more
Decorated ‘dotted’ stone was a first for the Ness
Diary – Thursday, July 16, 2020
Day Nine
There was a new look to the site when the excavation team turned up on Monday, July 16, 2012.… Read more
The trouble with Cuween: human remains from Neolithic Orkney
Do we have evidence of ritualised violence at Cuween? A video lecture from Dr Rebecca Crozier, well-known in Orkney for her work at the Quanterness Chambered… Read more
From the Art Hut – the permanence of pigments
By Karen Wallis
On July 17, 2018, I made this oil painting of Marc excavating a hearth in Structure One.
The colour of the deposits was extremely rich and varied.… Read more
A spectacular incised slab – the first of many in 2019
Diary – Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Day Eight
As mentioned yesterday, we’re now reaching the point where the pre-2015, six-week excavations on site start getting under way.
… Read more
