Category: News

Friday, September 17, 2021

Touching our ancestors – the Ness and the SPOTtimespotTIME artwork

By Elaine Robinson Having had a lifelong interest in archaeology, imagine my excitement from the point of view as an artist who has been collecting fingerprints since 2015, when my attention was drawn to an article in April 2021 detailing the discovery of a 5,000-year-old fingerprint at the Ness of Brodgar.… Continue reading

Clare excavating the animal bone beneath the quernstone fragment she found yesterday. The bone, like most found at the Ness, was poorly preserved. This makes identification difficult but it appears to be a cattle vertebra. (Sigurd Towrie)

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Ness MRes studentship now available at UHI Archaeology Institute

A part-funded Masters by Research (MRes) studentship focusing on the faunal assemblage at the Ness of Brodgar is now available at the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute.… Continue reading

Polished stone tools (Hugo Anderson-Whymark)

Thursday, September 2, 2021

31st Orkney International Science Festival begins today with Ness talk scheduled for Sunday

The 31st annual Orkney International Science Festival begins today, Thursday, September 2, and runs until September 8. On Sunday, September 5, the Dr Raymond Lamb Memorial Lecture is entitled The Ness in Rock and Stone and outlines some of the insights gained from the study of finds from the site.… Continue reading

Carved Stone Ball

Friday, August 13, 2021

Carved stone ball auction raised £425 for excavation funds

Our auction of a carved stone ball replica ended today at 5pm and raised £425 for Ness excavation funds. The handmade, red sandstone artefact was created by Chris Gee, who donated it to the Ness of Brodgar Trust.… Continue reading

Sunday, July 25, 2021

Over one-million page views for Ness of Brodgar website

The Ness of Brodgar website has reached a milestone – reaching, and rocketing past, one million page views. Technically, the dig diary broke that barrier many years ago, but in 2017 we switched to our own domain after being hosted by Orkneyjar.com… Continue reading

Picture: Jim Richardson

Saturday, July 10, 2021

‘I think I have Dig Deprivation’ – a blog post by Jim Richardson

In 2012, Jim Richardson visited the Ness to capture images for a National Geographic feature. On Thursday, he posted a lovely article on the Ness excavation on his blog.… Continue reading

Ness of Brodgar As it Stands Cover

Friday, July 9, 2021

Want to win a copy of our new book?

If you’ve not yet got a copy of our interim monograph, The Ness of Brodgar: As it Stands, and fancy your chances at winning one, here’s your opportunity.… Continue reading

Ness tyres

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Visiting the Ness of Brodgar this summer – what you need to know

Almost two years since we were last on site, the covers at the Ness of Brodgar start coming off tomorrow. The site is open to the public from Wednesday, June 30, from 9.30am until 4.30pm.… Continue reading

Petrosphere for sale

Monday, June 14, 2021

Woodturned petrosphere and bowl on offer to benefit Ness excavation fund – SOLD

Both pieces have now been sold – thank you for your support. Orcadian woodturner Michael Sinclair has crafted another two beautiful – and unique – pieces to offer Ness followers to help boost excavation funds.… Continue reading

Sunset over the Ring of Brodgar (Nick Card)

Monday, June 7, 2021

New landscape card designs added to online shop

Our first run of fundraising card packs featuring scenes from in and around the Ness of Brodgar has sold out, so we’ve got a brand new set, featuring all-new images from Nick Card, Jim Richardson and Scott Pike.… Continue reading

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Prehistoric deer carvings in Argyll are a first for Scotland

We’re no strangers to Neolithic art at the Ness of Brodgar, but our examples are either circular cupmarks or geometric designs.… Continue reading

Wolf and Owl Remember cover

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

‘Wolf and Owl’ book continues to boost Ness excavation funds

Sales of a children’s book by US author Antoinette Sarcinella is continuing to benefit the Ness fundraising campaign. Wolf and Owl Remember takes the reader through a full life circle journey of Native American Kumi, from his boyhood as a Lakota boy through adulthood, to old age – a journey that brings life and meaning to myths and legends of long ago.… Continue reading

Red deer featured image

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Link: The significance of red deer in prehistory

A link to a new article, Connecting the Edges: The Call of the Wild, by Kath Page, a postgraduate M.Litt Archaeology Studies student based at the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute.… Continue reading

Picture: Chris Gee

Monday, April 26, 2021

Prehistoric quernstone is latest evidence of Early Neolithic settlement site on outskirts of Kirkwall

The discovery of a huge prehistoric quernstone is the latest evidence of an Early Neolithic settlement on the outskirts of Kirkwall, Orkney.… Continue reading

Easter bowls fundraiser

Monday, April 5, 2021

Woodturned pieces on offer to benefit Ness excavation fund – SOLD

Both pieces have now been sold – thank you for your support. Orcadian woodturner Michael Sinclair has made another two beautiful bowls which are being offered to Ness followers to help boost our excavation funds.… Continue reading

Ness of Brodgar Monograph available to pre-order

Friday, March 26, 2021

Ness monograph sets ‘a high standard’ says reviewer

The latest glowing review of the the Ness of Brodgar interim monograph has been posted to the Prehistoric Society website this morning.… Continue reading