Ness of Brodgar: Past, Present and Future - out now.

From 2004, 20 years of excavation on the Ness of Brodgar revealed a huge complex of monumental Neolithic buildings from the centuries around 3000BC.

Without parallel in Atlantic Europe, the site’s three hectares are filled with huge stone structures containing spectacular finds.

These made the Ness one of the most important archaeological sites in the world today, changing our understanding of Neolithic Orkney and shining a new light on the prehistory of northern Europe.

Fieldwork ended in 2024 and the focus is now on the post-excavation analysis of the data gathered. This will lead to full publication with much more available online.

In addition, we will continue working with local communities and schools to develop educational and other resources.

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.

About the Site
The discovery of the Ness complex
Post-excavation
Ring of Bookan, Orkney. (Sigurd Towrie)

The Ring of Bookan

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. Read more
Crossiecrown Bronze Age Phase

Crossiecrown settlement – part two

Parallels with Barnhouse and the Ness of Brodgar hint that the Crossiecrown “double-house” was more than a dwelling. The quality of the internal stonework, the deposited artefacts and the fact the Red House had been “decorated” suggests we have another example of a “big house” – a structure with “enhanced ancestral significance and status”. Read more
History Hit TV

Video: The Ness on History Hit TV

  Historian Tristan Hughes visited the Ness of Brodgar this summer, to film for the History Hit TV programme Mysteries of Prehistoric Scotland: Stone Age Orkney. Although the full programme… Read more