Dig Diary – Thursday, August 16, 2018
Day Thirty-Four
Second macehead of the season
We’ll break all the rules of diary writing and start with a couple of apologies.
If this diary is a little late in… 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.
The end is nigh…can you help?
As we enter the last week of the 2018 season, we would like to ask for some help from anyone free on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week (August 22, 23 and… Read more
Day Thirty-Three in pictures…
Rain brought work to a halt again today. But here’s a few pictures.… Read more
Dig Diary – Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Day Thirty-Three
The luck of the Irish!
Well, it had to happen.
After the best summer excavation weather that any of us can remember (in this country at least) the… Read more
The Ness in the news…
Some links to recent news stories and articles:
Elisabeth Holder – Working Away
British Archaeology Magazine – the printed magazine features a review of Woody Musgrove’s new book, Ness of… Read more
Treasures on display at Open Day
This weekend will see our final Open Day of the 2018 season.
Amongst other things, on display will be the axes, macehead, spatulas and incised stones found this year –… Read more
Day Thirty-Two in pictures…
A shorter than usual selection of activity around the site today – due to everyone being busy but also the fact that rain brought proceedings to an early close. As… Read more
Dig Diary – Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Day Thirty-Two
High hopes realised
Yesterday’s diary explained the normal phenomenon whereby the end of the excavation season leads to a feeling that nothing much is likely to happen.
It… Read more
‘Midden’ by Kate Greene
for weeks the Neolithic midden
clung to my clothes, hair, and skin
or lay embedded in fingerprints, under fingernails,
in open cuts
now it’s falling off slowly as dust… Read more
Dig Diary – Monday, August 13, 2018
Day Thirty-One
Surprise start to penultimate week
We are now in our penultimate week of excavation at the Ness and, as is usual so close to the end of the… Read more
‘Milk, Beef and Beer’
Feast
Diane Eagles – Artist in residence
Three ritual feasting vessels, entitled Milk, Beef and Beer, are endowed with symbolic references to Neolithic ceramics and the Ness of Brodgar.
They are… Read more
Day Thirty in pictures…
Click on an image for a larger version.
[widgets_on_pages id=”1″ small=”1″ medium=”1″ large=”1″ wide=”1″]… Read more
Dig Diary – Friday, August 10, 2018
Day Thirty
An international affair…
One of the factors which makes studying archaeology with the University of the Highlands and Islands in Orkney such an enjoyable affair is the presence… Read more
Day Twenty-Nine in pictures…
Click the images for larger versions.
[widgets_on_pages id=”1″ small=”1″ medium=”1″ large=”1″ wide=”1″]… Read more
Dig Diary – Thursday, August 9, 2018
Day Twenty-Nine
Joining the dots in ‘bling central’
We haven’t mentioned Structure Eight much lately.
Formerly known as “bling central” because of the extravagance of the artefacts found within it… Read more
