The first bottle of the limited-edition Ness of Brodgar’s Legacy whisky was auctioned at tonight’s pre-dig lecture and raised £300 for excavation funds. Bidding, which started at £100, was brisk as bidders sought to acquire the bottle, which bore the signatures of the Highland Park’s head distiller and Ness of …
The spatulate stone tools found at the Ness over the past few years are the subject of a new research project this summer. Archaeology Institute UHI undergraduate Gary Lloyd has been awarded a Carnegie Vacation Scholarship to complete the research, which will focus on the spoon-like artefacts, of which over …
We asked for volunteers and you responded. All the meet-and-greet places for the rapidly approaching 2019 excavation season have been filled. Many, many thanks to all who have been in touch and offered their time. It really is very much appreciated.
Ness excavation funds will benefit from the launch of a limited edition bottling of Highland Park whisky. A percentage of the proceeds from sales of the 5,000 bottles of Ness of Brodgar’s Legacy will be donated to the trust that oversees the excavation of the site. Jason R. Craig, Highland …
A quick reminder that this year’s pre-excavation lecture by site director Nick Card takes place next week. The Appliance of Science will take place, in the Orkney Theatre, Kirkwall, on Thursday, June 20, 2019, at 7.30pm. Entry to the talk, hosted by the Orkney Archaeology Society, is by donation. To …
There’s a distinct archaeological flavour to the forthcoming exhibition of Orkney College UHI exhibition of student work. Among the exhibiting students is BA Fine Art student Samantha Gray, who has incorporated soil from the Ness of Brodgar spoil heap into her installation. She explained: “I came back to Orkney after …
Artist-in-residence Karen Wallis’s 2018 sketchbook of drawings is now online, through the link on her website homepage at www.karenwallis.co.uk. Karen will be back on site this summer for her fourth residency at the Ness.
The remarkable Neolithic ceremonial site at the Ness of Brodgar has a habit of springing surprises on those who work there. Ceramics specialist Roy Towers from the Archaeology Institute of the University of the Highlands and Islands was assessing a box full of pottery from the site when a surprising …
Since we sent out last month’s newsletter (if you have not signed up yet, click here) we’ve had a number of generous donations to the Ness excavation funds. To respect the privacy of donors we will obviously not be naming anyone but would like to take this opportunity to thank …
Long-time supporters of the Ness Michael and Sara Sinclair have posted a video showing the creation of one of their wooden petropsheres. The auction of one of Michael’s stunning brass petrospheres raised £625 for excavation funds earlier this year. Much of Michael’s inspiration is derived from Orkney’s rich archaeological heritage, with …
(Since posting this, we’ve learned it is not available to viewers outside Europe. Sorry to our non-European followers) A beautiful documentary on Orkney, from ARTE. The film-makers visited the Ness at the start of last year’s dig season to record a segment. The Ness bit begins around 16.21, but take …
Eagle-eyed Cecily has recovered another beautiful find from the flotation residues. After last week’s tiny bead, this time she has found a small fragment of thin flagstone, unusually decorated on both sides. One side of the fragment (pictured above) shows a clear “stacked chevrons” design.
Sometimes it’s the small things that astound — like this tiny stone bead discovered today. Measuring circa 2mm in diameter, the bead must have taken a steady hand and a sharp eye to create and was recovered by Cecily from the residue from an environmental sample taken in Structure Twenty-Six …
To the uninitiated, it might look as though Chris Marshall (right) has secured a sci-fi prop from a 1970s BBC TV programme (Blake’s Seven anyone?) What he is actually doing is testing out an RTI photography rig that will allow detailed examination and recording primarily of our decorated pottery and to …
