The ‘Lochview’ Standing Stones
Thousands cross the Ness of Brodgar annually. But, if noticed at all, a pair of standing stones between the two stone circles probably don’t get a second glance …
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 …
Around the Ness in the 19th century with George Washington Wilson
We were delighted to learn this week that the University of Aberdeen’s George Washington Wilson photographic archive is free to access online. Operating from Aberdeen, on the Scottish mainland, in the latter half of the …
We bring this week to a close they way we started it – with another trail! This time we head to the west coast of the Orkney Mainland and take a wander around the Bay …
Big Howe – an Iron Age broch beside the Stones of Stenness?
Stand in the centre of the Stones of Stenness today and a short distance to the south-east, in the adjacent field, you will see a low mound. This is Big Howe, all that remains of …
Enclosing the midden mound – Iron Age activity at the Ness excavation site
The Ness complex was abandoned at the end of the Neolithic, around 2500BC, but at least one section was brought back into use, some 1,800 years later, in the Iron Age …
Geophysics suggests the Ness may not be as unique as once thought
When the Ness of Brodgar was discovered in 2003, it was without parallel. But we now suspect it might not be …
A few weeks ago conversation at excavation HQ drifted from matters Ness and the Neolithic to apparent Viking Age runes found in the 1920s at the nearby Brodgar farm …
But where’s the trees? Gathering and using timber in Neolithic Orkney
The Orkney encountered by the first farmers, around 3700BC, was very different. Not only did lower sea levels mean more lowland areas, but Orkney was also home to wooded areas containing birch, hazel, rowan, willow, …
A mile or so north west of the Ring of Brodger, the ditched enclosure known as the Ring of Bookan comprises a flat-bottomed ditch surrounding an oval, raised platform …
