Letting the dust settle – pottery triage project comes to an end
Our six-week pottery triage project came to an end this afternoon. A big thank-you to all the volunteers who made their way back to Ness HQ to help out. Read more
Category: Ceramics
Ceiridwen’s photographs capture the pottery triage process
A selection of photographs from pottery triage volunteer Ceiridwen Blakesley. Read more
Triage volunteers recording pottery sherds of all shapes and sizes
A mixed bag of finds from week five of our ceramics triage project - including a stunning example of decorated Neolithic pottery. Read more
Time Team back on site along with new pottery triage volunteers
Week two of the pottery triage project also saw Time Team's Dr John Gater back on site... Read more
Fingerprint specialist drops in at Ness HQ during Scottish road trip
Professor Kent Fowler, from the University of Manitoba, paid us a visit last week during his road trip around Scotland. Read more
More examples of the ‘complex and endlessly varied’ pottery from the Ness
More beautiful examples of Neolithic ceramics catalogued during the post-excavation process. Read more
Puzzling but precise – intrigued by impressions on pottery sherds
We find fingerprints, cord, basketry and other impressions left in damp pottery while pieces were made in the Neolithic but some new examples have left us puzzled and intrigued. Read more
A pot is for storage and cooking…right?
Jan Blatchford on her surprising discovery - a cordon running across the base of a pot's interior. Read more
Specialists discuss post-excavation strategy for pottery assemblage
Our pottery specialists gathered this week to discuss the way forward with the site's huge ceramic assemblage. Read more
2024’s top finds – ‘stamped’ pottery sherd from Structure Forty
A first for the Ness - stamped decoration on a pottery vessel. Read more
Busy times! It’s a veritable research hot-house at the Ness dig HQ
It’s turned into an exceptionally busy week here at Brodgar. Dig HQ is full of ongoing research. And that’s a very good thing. Read more
Pottery residue analysis earns researcher Royal Archaeological Institute prize for science
PhD candidate Julia Becher, who is analysing lipids on Ness of Brodgar pottery sherds, has been awarded the Royal Archaeological Institute prize for science on the archaeology of Britain and Ireland. Read more
Link: Into the Groove…
A blog post by Dr Mike Copper following the rise and demise of Grooved Ware and revealing the insights into the Late Neolithic that this pottery can provide. Read more
First overview of Grooved Ware pottery in 25 years published this week
Revisiting Grooved Ware Understanding Ceramic Trajectories in Britain and Ireland, 3200–2400 cal BC, edited by Mike Copper, Alasdair Whittle and Alison Sheridan, presents a series of papers offering both regional and thematic perspectives on the ceramic style. Read more
Diary Extra – 3d model of complete Grooved Ware pot
A new 3d model from Trench J supervisor Paul Durdin - this one showing the beautiful, and apparently intact Grooved Ware pot found between Structures Twenty-Nine and One on Thursday afternoon. Read more
Prehistoric pottery use – the path to and start of a PhD
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
Albert Einstein
Professor Oliver Craig and Julia Becher at Skara Brae in August 2021.
By… Read more
Palm print on Structure Ten pottery sherd left by an adult male
A 5000-year-old male palm print was discovered on a pottery sherd at the Ness of Brodgar. The artefact was analysed using Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) and it was concluded that the print most likely belonged to a man around 22 years old. Read more
Tracing the Lines: Uncovering Grooved Ware Trajectories in Neolithic Scotland
Dr. Mike Copper co-authored a paper analysing the adoption, development, and demise of Neolithic Grooved Ware pottery in Scotland, positing its origins in Orkney around 3160-3090 BC. Read more
