Category: News

The late Caroline Wickham-Jones.

Friday, January 14, 2022

The passing of a great archaeologist

With great shock and numbing sadness we learned today that archaeologist Caroline Wickham-Jones has passed away. Caroline, a great supporter of the Ness and Orkney’s archaeology as a whole, will be sorely missed and our heartfelt condolences go to her family and her many friends.… Continue reading

The spectacular polished stone "sky" axe from Structure Fourteen being packed up ready for transport to the British Museum. (Anne Mitchell)

Friday, January 7, 2022

Braving the elements to pack artefacts on loan to Stonehenge exhibition

By Anne Mitchell Yesterday morning, Thursday, January 6, was bitterly cold here at the Ness, with snow on the Hoy hills, a gusty Force Eight blowing across the site and horizontal sleety rain.… Continue reading

Maeshowe Solstice (Historic Environment Scotland)

Friday, December 17, 2021

Maeshowe broadcast to mark the winter solstice

Next Tuesday, December 21, is the winter solstice, and to mark the occasion, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is livestreaming an event celebrating Maeshowe and its midwinter alignment.… Continue reading

Stonehenge. (English Heritage)

Saturday, December 11, 2021

British Museum announce objects joining Ness artefacts at Stonehenge exhibition

A selection of artefacts from the Ness of Brodgar are among the hundreds coming together for a special exhibition on Stonehenge at the British Museum next year.… Continue reading

Woodturned macehead and stand

Friday, December 10, 2021

Macehead auction raised £260 for excavation fund

The auction of a wooden replica of a Neolithic macehead has raised £260 for Ness of Brodgar excavation funds. Created by Orcadian woodturner Michael Sinclair, the stunning macehead and stand were very generously donated to us by Bruce Bennison, a regular digger on site over the years.… Continue reading

...and its many coverings. (Sigurd Towrie)

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Dates set for 2022 excavation

Next year’s excavation at the Ness of Brodgar will run from Monday, July 4, 2022 until Friday, August 19, 2022. Naturally these dates depend entirely on pandemic developments but, all going well, we are hoping to re-open the entire site next year.… Continue reading

Sponsor a Find

Friday, November 19, 2021

Shop additions, a new ‘Sponsor a Find’ fundraiser and Christmas last order dates

We’ve had a busy week and have launched a new fundraiser Sponsor a Find. The idea is that we periodically give you the choice from several Ness of Brodgar finds to sponsor at £20 per find.… Continue reading

Stonehenge Featured Image

Friday, October 22, 2021

Ness artefacts at British Museum will help shine a light on the world of Stonehenge

A selection of the Ness of Brodgar’s finest artefacts will feature in a major exhibition at the British Museum next year.… Continue reading

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