Skara Brae – the houses
Skara Brae followed the pattern since noted at other Orcadian Neolithic settlements – houses were built, inhabited, abandoned and rebuilt, usually on the same site. Read more
The Ness of Brodgar complex
Discovered in 2003, the Ness of Brodgar site has been under excavation since 2004, revealing a massive complex of monumental Neolithic buildings dating from the centuries around 3000BC.
Without parallel in Atlantic Europe, the Ness of Brodgar’s three hectares are filled with huge stone structures containing spectacular finds.
These have made the Ness one of the most important archaeological excavations in the world today, changing our understanding of the culture and beliefs of Neolithic Orkney and shining a new light on the prehistory of northern Europe.
The project is mainly funded through the generosity of the public through our two supporting charities, the Ness of Brodgar Trust and the American Friends.
Skara Brae
Hailed the best-preserved Neolithic village in northern Europe, Skara Brae stands on the southern shore of the Bay of Skaill, in Orkney’s West Mainland. Read more
Online lecture – The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project and the Durrington Walls Pits Circle
The Society of Antiquaries of London lecture, The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project and the Durrington Walls Pits Circle, by Professor Vincent Gaffney.
The Stonehenge Landscape Project has carried out… Read more
Wednesday wildlife – wintry weather
A definite wintry feel to this week’s offering from site director Nick Card.
… Read more
The Ness dig – a video introduction
New to the Ness of Brodgar? Wondering what the excavation is all about? Here’s our new seven-minute video summary of the site.… Read more
Walk the Ness Neolithic Trail
Although visitors can’t come to Orkney at present due to the Covid pandemic travel restrictions, we’re all looking forward to a time when things get back to some semblance of… Read more
Ness book declared ‘a stunning accomplishment’
The Ness of Brodgar interim monograph has been hailed a “stunning accomplishment” by Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology magazine.
In his review in the March/April issue, he highlights that… Read more
Wednesday wildlife – birds of a feather
We’re under a thick blanket of snow at the moment, so this week its a few of site director Nick’s photographs from late January, when things were not quite so… Read more
Knowes and barrows on the Ness of Brodgar
Although the Ring of Brodgar dominates the surrounding area, the stone circle is but the tip of an archaeological iceberg. Read more
Wednesday wildlife – ice hunters
We’ve been in the grip of some cold weather, meaning iced-up loch sections. But as these pictures from site director Nick Card show, the daily hunt for food involved a… Read more
The Barnhouse Stone
A solitary lichen-crowned megalith stands in a field about half a mile to the south-east of the Stones of Stenness. Read more
Wednesday wildlife – otters in action
We’ve had a wintry spell in Orkney, with a bit of snow and plenty of ice.
But despite the cold conditions, the Ness of Brodgar otters have been out and… Read more
An archaeological best-seller: first print of Ness monograph sold out
Less than two months since its launch, a second print of our interim monograph, The Ness of Brodgar: As it Stands, is under way.
Demand for the title has been… Read more
Wednesday wildlife – creatures great and small
This week’s photographic offering from Ness of Brodgar site director Nick Card.
… Read more
The Deepdale Stone
Head north along the road south-west of the Stenness loch and a single standing stone will be clearly visible on high ground to the north-west. Located in the parish of Stromness, the Deepdale Stone stands 1.8 metres (6ft) high. Read more
Wednesday wildlife – above, on and in the lochs
The fauna of the Ness of Brodgar captured through the camera lens of Ness of Brodgar dig director Nick Card.… Read more
Wednesday wildlife – otters at work and play
The first week of 2021 and the Ness of Brodgar otters have been out and about, as these pictures from site director Nick Card show.… Read more
Barnhouse – Structure Eight
Around 3000BC, some 200 years after the founding of the Barnhouse settlement, a “building of monumental proportions” was erected on the site of a meeting area on the village outskirts. Read more
Another happy contributor…
It’s been a strange year – of that there is no doubt – and we’ve reached the end of 2020.
Although it will be remembered for the things we couldn’t… Read more
Wednesday wildlife – on the lochs
As 2020 draws to a close, site director Nick has been out and about around the Ness with his camera.… Read more
Barnhouse – House Two
For three centuries the Barnhouse settlement was dominated by a structure unlike any of the others in the village. Labelled House Two, it was also unique among Neolithic buildings in Orkney until the Ness of Brodgar complex appeared on the scene in 2003. Read more
The Barnhouse Settlement
In December 1984, evidence of a Neolithic village was found 150 metres (164 yards) to the north of the Stones of Stenness, at the southern end of the Harray loch. Read more
