Dig Diary — Sunday, August 19, 2012
Day Twenty-Five
A star attraction
We guess from the number of visitors we have attracted today that all of you reading this blog saw at first hand the excavations today!… Read more
Category: Excavation
Dig Diary — Thursday, August 16, 2012
Day Twenty-Four
With just a week left on site, and a good deal of that time to be taken up with planning and, eventually, the covering over of the site… Read more
Dig Diary — Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Day Twenty-Three
First of all, a confession . . .
We confess, here and now, in the presence of thousands of readers of the diary, out there in the archaeosphere,… Read more
Dig Diary — Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Day Twenty-Two
Thwarted by the elements
The weather has been an ever-present element in the diary this year, and for good reason.
Working out-of-doors quickly brings the realisation that it… Read more
Dig Diary — Monday, August 13, 2012
Day Twenty-One
Regarding ‘dressers’
While removing the rubble near the end of the central east pier in Structure Fourteen, in the closing hour of today’s work, Neralie discovered another star… Read more
Dig Diary — Friday, August 10, 2012
Day Twenty
Paint and people
It is wonderful to see the expression on visitors’ faces when you explain that the folk of the Late Neolithic, who built the Ness complex,… Read more
Dig Diary — Thursday, August 9, 2012
Day Nineteen
The finds hut on the Ness is a small, wooden hut, containing finds supervisor Anne, her assistants Scott and Sam (whom we will hear from in a future… Read more
Dig Diary – Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Day Eighteen
We’ll start today with the star find – a find that caused great excitement and led to our stone tools expert, Professor Mark Edmonds, being recalled from Kirkwall… Read more
Dig Diary – Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Day Seventeen
After the torrential rain of yesterday, this has been one of these calm, slightly claustrophobic days at the Ness, where the cloud is low and stationary, the water… Read more
Dig Diary – Monday, August 6, 2012
Day Sixteen
And the rain came down . . .
Oh dear, oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
It has rained and rained on the Ness for most… Read more
Dig Diary – Friday, August 3, 2012
Day Fifteen
Today, Friday, was a day of excellent archaeology and jaw-dropping technology to assist with the site recording.
Mark, from the University of the Highlands and Islands in Kirkwall,… Read more
Dig Diary – Thursday, August 2, 2012
Day Fourteen
Today, we will start with the best, the very best, find we have had in a while.
Professor Mark Edmonds arrived on site late in the afternoon and… Read more
The view from above . . .
The above aerial shot, taken by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), shows the 2012 excavation season getting under way last month.
For more… Read more
Dig Diary – Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Day Thirteen
We have had an interesting day on the Ness, if blowy, wet and intermittently miserable.
Hugo, in Structure Fourteen and ancillary areas, was happy.
But Hugo is always… Read more
Dig Diary – Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Day Twelve
Media attention
The growing importance of the Ness as an archaeological site of international significance has come the inevitable international media attention.
In lots of ways this is… Read more
Dig diary – Monday, July 30, 2012
Day Eleven
So, here we are at the beginning of week three on the Ness, with a new intake of diggers. Among them, we are delighted to welcome the eminent ceramics… Read more
Dig Diary – Friday, July 27, 2012
Day Ten
The end of week two
It is hard to believe that one-third of the digging season on the Ness is over already.
For some of the diggers and… Read more
Dig Diary – Thursday, July 26, 2012
Day Nine
‘Lifting Day’ dawns
Today at the Ness started bright and sunny, but with a distinctly nervy feeling in the air.
The reason lay quietly in the trench, just… Read more
Dig Diary – Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Day Eight
On many archaeological sites, each day can bring a different pace of activity and excitement, and today is definitely a step-change from yesterday.
For a start, the weather… Read more
Dig Diary – Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Day Seven
Welcome, once more, to everyone out there in the archaeosphere from a very sunny and hot Ness of Brodgar.
There were some groans of anticipation early in the… Read more
Dig Diary – Monday, July 23, 2012
Day Six
And so into week two and, fortunately, after the deluge yesterday, the sun is once again shining on the Ness.
It was quite a baptism of fire for… Read more
Dig Diary – Friday, July 20, 2012
Day Five
A viking invasion!
It’s the end of week one and all seems well in the world of the Ness – and what a first week (site director Nick… Read more
