Zoom in to Trench J
Last week we had Trench P, now it’s Trench J from 2021, with Structures Five and Thirty-two and the “Great Wall of Brodgar”.… Read more
Category: Excavation
Get up close to the archaeology in Trench P
An overhead view of Trench P at the end of the last full season of excavation, 2019,
Zoom in for a close-up view of the archaeology and pan around the… Read more
The rise and fall of the Ness
The last of our pre-2022 excavation season updates is now online and takes a look at what we know about the Ness complex – from its earliest days to eventual… Read more
Link: A full summer of excavation in Orkney
The Ness of Brodgar is just one of the excavations resuming in Orkney this summer.
Getting the ball rolling on June 13 is The Cairns, an Iron Age broch site… Read more
Orkney Archaeology Society’s 2022 review now available
A summary of last season’s excavation is among the Ness-related articles featured in the new 2022 Orkney Archaeology Society annual review.
The publication looks at archaeological and heritage work undertaken… Read more
Talking rubbish – midden at the Ness of Brodgar
Until the early years of the 21st century, the huge, whalebacked mound at the south-eastern tip of the Ness of Brodgar was thought to be a natural feature.
Now, 18… Read more
Between two walls – updated information on the Ness boundaries
Everyone who has visited the site during excavation season will have heard about the “Great Wall of Brodgar” and its southern counterpart “The Lesser Wall”.
Our understanding of their role… Read more
The final find of the season…before the cover-up began
Just when you think it’s all over, we have one last find to share with you – a delicately incised stone from Trench J.
We’ve been hard at work all… Read more
That’s excavation done for another year so thank you all
Dig Diary – Day Thirty-Three
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Ah well, the inevitable has happened and this is our last day of excavation at the wonderful Ness of Brodgar.
For… Read more
One day left to visit the Ness before the site closes to the public
Dig Diary – Day Thirty-Two
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
How time flies.
The end of the season is nigh and if you’ve yet to visit the site, tomorrow is the… Read more
Another hammerstone and a site awash with planning frames
Dig Diary – Day Thirty-One
Monday, August 9, 2021
Well, readers, this is the beginning of the last week of the excavation campaign for this year.
We have been so… Read more
A decorated stone slab on the floor of Structure Thirty-Two
Dig Diary – Day Thirty
Friday, August 6, 2021
It’s been a quiet sort of day at The Ness, with the only real noise and disturbance coming from a… Read more
‘Painted’ stone in Structure Ten and illustrating our ‘puzzling pot’
Dig Diary – Day Twenty-Nine
Thursday, August 5, 2021
So here we are rapidly approaching the end of our penultimate week of excavation.
Knowing the end is night brings a… Read more
A puzzling piece of pottery!
Dig Diary – Day Twenty-Eight
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Today has been busy, with sultry weather and, as close of play draws near, some dramatic thunder and lightning
However, work… Read more
Can you help us cover the site next week?
Do you have a couple of hours (or more) to spare on Thursday, August 12, or Friday, August 13?
Yes, it’s that time of year again when we call for… Read more
Dig Diary Extra: Dr Jo McKenzie successfully recovers first timber sample
A video of Jo recovering the first of two Neolithic timber samples from the interior of Structure Twelve today. Apologies for the sound quality – the Orcadian wind is… Read more
Objects of beauty and a mission accomplished
Dig Diary – Day Twenty-Seven
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Imagine the situation.
At your feet are probably the only two examples of Neolithic timber inside a structure and in a… Read more
Preparing to recover prehistoric timber from Structure Twelve
Dig Diary – Day Twenty-Six
Monday, August 2, 2021
We have a very special offer today, not, we are sad to say, for diary readers, or even for visitors to… Read more
Neolithic timber has survived in Structure Twelve post-holes!
Dig Diary – Day Twenty-Five
Friday, July 30, 2021
Over the years of excavation the Ness has produced so many surprises that some archaeologists thought we had exhausted all the… Read more
