Diary Extra – Cleaning continues…
A few images from the marathon cleaning session ahead of today’s photography session.
Click on any image for larger versions.… Read more
Category: Excavation
Diary Extra – 3d model of Trench T’s timber plank
Another new model from Trench J supervisor Paul Durdin.
Organic materials do not survive well in the acidic soil conditions at the Ness of Brodgar, so the regular appearance of… Read more
Dig Diary – Timber plank hailed our ‘most exciting find’ to date
Today, it was all hands on deck as the great, site-wide clean-up operation continued in earnest. Read more
Diary Extra – 3d model of Structure Twenty’s wall face and pier
A new photogrammetric model from Paul Durdin showing a section of the exposed walls and pier of Structure Twenty, the confirmed building lying beneath Structure Ten.
Structure Ten, with the… Read more
Dig Diary – Another ‘Brodgar Butterfly’ emerges from rubble pit
The incised ‘Brodgar Butterfly’ motif found by Ceiridwen today. (📷 Tom O’Brien)
Day Twenty-SevenTuesday, August 8, 2023
As we suspected it might, more incised, decorated stone has been popping up… Read more
Diary Extra – Structure Twenty-Seven flyover video
A short video from Professor Scott Pike, showing Trench T and Structure Twenty-Seven.… Read more
Dig Diary – Prehistoric timber fragments continue to appear in Structure Twenty-Seven.
Day Twenty-Six
Monday, August 7, 2023
Week six dawned bright and sunny.
What an absolutely gorgeous day to welcome a few new diggers on site!
And it… Read more
Dig Diary – Welcome return of Time Team member who discovered the Ness complex
Excavation under way in Structure Twenty-Seven’s south-western end. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
Day Twenty-FiveFriday, August 4, 2023
John Gater – of Time Team fame – back on site, 21 years after… Read more
Dig Diary – Wooden fragments recovered from two Ness structures
Two of the timber fragments under the microscope. (📷 Jen Miller)
Day Twenty-FourThursday, August 3, 2023
Regular readers will know that the preservation of organic material at the Ness is… Read more
The F-word revisited
An update on project funding from Ness project officer Anne Mitchell. Read more
Dig Diary – Structure Thirty-Nine is no more but Twenty is getting bigger
Today’s decorated stone – found by Tristan in Structure One. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
Day Twenty-ThreeWednesday, August 2, 2023
Just a few days after it was given a name, Structure Thirty-Nine… Read more
Diary Extra – Drone shots of Structures Ten and Twenty-Seven
A selection of photographs from today’s drone sessions.
Structure Ten. (📷 Scott Pike)
Structure Ten. (📷 Scott Pike)
Structure Ten. (📷 Scott Pike)
Interior of Ten, with Twenty bottom left.… Read more
Dig Diary – More decorated stone, pottery and unravelling the story of the ‘rockery with a roof’
A day of perfect weather, revelations and incredible finds. Read more
Diary Extra – Day Twenty-Two in pictures
A small selection of images from across the site today. Read more
Dig Diary – A new week and the christening of a new building!
Day Twenty-One
Monday, July 31, 2023
Another new week – the start of the fifth of this year’s excavation season.
And with it came a new intake of… Read more
Diary Extra – Day Twenty-One in pictures
A small selection of the photographs taken by Jo Bourne, all across the site, today.
Click on any image to enlarge and to show captions.… Read more
Dig Diary – Sunshine brings out the crowds for annual Ness open day
Open Day 2023 gets under way on site this morning. (📷 Jo Bourne)
Day TwentySunday, July 30, 2023
We truly couldn’t have wished for better conditions for an open day.… Read more
Latest 3d model shows all the Great Wall’s newly excavated section

Earlier in the season, Trench J’s supervisor, Paul Durdin, created a 3d model of the outer face of the northern boundary wall – the so-called “Great Wall of Brodgar”.… Read more
Diary Extra – Day Nineteen in pictures
Lovely to see Jo Bourne back on site, so here’s a selection of her pictures from today.
Click on any image for an enlarged version.… Read more
Dig Diary – Found it! Suspected hearth in Structure Twenty-Seven
All eyes on Structure Twenty-Seven this afternoon, where a possible hearth emerged. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
Dig Diary – Day NineteenThursday, July 27
One thing you can always be sure of,… Read more
