Traditional names or just another ‘Loda’ old nonsense?
Is there any truth to the antiquarian claims that the two Stenness circles were traditionally known as the Temples of the Sun and Moon? Read more
Category: Ring of Brodgar
Snow around Brodgar (but not today’s)
As I write this, we're well and truly snowed into our corner of the West Mainland. Read more
Link: Rebuilt dig diary revisits the 2008 excavations at the Ring of Brodgar
The summer of 2008 saw two excavations on the Ness of Brodgar - ours and a month-long dig at the Ring of Brodgar. Read more
Ring of Brodgar is the subject of latest ‘Stone Me’ podcast episode
Professor Jane Downes and Matthew Magee recording the podcast at the Ring of Brodgar. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
The Ring of Brodgar is the subject of the latest episode of the… Read more
Vestrafiold – the megalithic quarry
From at least the early 19th century, Vestrafiold was considered to be a source of the megaliths found in the Stones of Stenness and Ring of Brodgar. Why? Although several quarries were traditionally said to have produced standing stones, Vestrafiold had the proof in situ - quarried, but abandoned, megaliths scattered across the hillside. Read more
Link: Podcast puts spotlight on Neolithic megalithic structures
The Stones of Stenness. (📷 Tim Winterburn)
Melvyn Bragg is joined by Professor Vicki Cummings (University of Central Lancashire), Professor Julian Thomas (University of Manchester) and Susan Greaney (University of… Read more
Chasing the ‘Brodgar road’ – the claimed route of the stone circle megaliths
For many years I have been fascinated by an “old tradition” of a prehistoric, eight-mile-long track known as the “Brodgar Road”. This, it was said, marked the route of the megaliths bound for the Ring of Brodgar and Stones of Stenness from the quarry site at Vestrafiold. Read more
Time for the old house to die? – henges and houses in the Neolithic
Over the past few weeks, we have looked at expedient architecture - the idea that some Neolithic buildings were hastily built, perhaps dismantled or simply left to become ruinous. This is not restricted to structures. Read more
Howastedgarth – the old name for the Ring of Brodgar?
We finished last week with George Marwick’s claimed “old name” for the Ring of Brodgar – Howastedgarth. I first stumbled across it in 2012, in a transcription of a talk given by Marwick. Read more
The Ring of Brodgar
With a diameter of 103.6m (340ft), the Ring of Brodgar is the larger of the two stone circles in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site and one of the biggest in the British Isles. Read more
A master of his art – Jim Richardson photographs from around the Ness
Jim Richardson visiting the Ness in 2019. (📷 Jo Bourne)
In 2012, Jim Richardson visited the Ness to capture images for a planned National Geographic feature article.
The resultant images… Read more
A natural cursus? Water, walls and walking the Ness
Previously we saw that the Dyke of Sean was perhaps once one of three — or possibly four — walls that ran the width of the Ness of Brodgar in the Neolithic. Did these define specific areas – dividing the isthmus into distinct segments of “graded” space – and controlled movement and visibility through them? Read more
Diary extra – a summertime wander around the Ring of Brodgar
With some work to do at Ness dig HQ, Sigurd decided to take a wander around the Ring of Brodgar first. Read more
The Dyke of Sean – a third monumental wall crossing the Ness
The Dyke of Sean, a suspected prehistoric earthwork near the Ring of Brodgar, fascinates visitors with its monumental size. It measures up to seven metres wide and a metre high, spanning 500 meters between the Stenness and Harray lochs. Despite unclear dating, masonry suggests a Neolithic origin. Read more
Ring of Brodgar relegated to fifth place in stone circle size table
Archaeological work in south-west Wales has pushed the Ring of Brodgar back to fifth place in the list of largest stone circles in the British Isles.
Four stones remain… Read more
