Archaeological review of 2019 released
A summary of last season’s work at the Ness is among the many articles featured in the new 2020 Orkney Archaeology Society annual review.
The book, which is free to… Read more
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.
Appeal for old photos of the Brodgar area
Do you have any old photos of the Ness of Brodgar you’d care to share with us?
We are always on the look out for early photos of the Ness… Read more
Ness 2020 excavation cancelled
We are very sorry to announce that due to the present COVID-19 situation and uncertainties surrounding this, all excavation and fieldwork at the Ness of Brodgar this summer has been… Read more
New ‘American Friends’ leaflet available to download
Updated for 2020, the new information leaflet is available to download at the American Friends page.… Read more
Pot sherd – before and after…
Hot off the press! A before and after shot of a classic sherd of Neolithic Grooved Ware pot from Structure Twelve.
Picture one (above) shows the sherd emerging and picture… Read more
Debitage confirms pitchstone knapping in Structure Eight
With Travis, it is not enough to find just one piece of pitchstone – within hours of finding the rather nice blade yesterday, he appeared clutching a finds bag from… Read more
Another pitchstone fragment from the Ness
Another flake of Arran pitchstone has turned up during the analysis of soil samples from Structure Eight.
Pitchstone is a volcanic glass, similar to obsidian, and its nearest source is… Read more
Video – Ness presentation at Shanghai awards ceremony
In November 2019, the Ness of Brodgar excavation project was selected for a 2019 Shanghai Archaeology Forum Field Discovery Award.
In December, site director Nick Card was flown to Shanghai,… Read more
Video – Trench P in 2008
Looking back it’s incredible to see the changes in the site over the past 12 years!
This short video – it was a test, hence the terrible quality – shows… Read more
PhD success for Ness regular
Huge congratulations to Sam Harris, a regular at the Ness over the last few years, who has just been granted his PhD from Bradford University.
Sam’s HES-funded thesis Developing Archaeomagnetic… Read more
Video – Ness flyaround: July 2019
Harking back to the balmy summer days of July 2019. A drone flyaround of the site, with excavation in full swing. (Scott Pike)… Read more
Ness newsletter archive updated
Another four Ness newsletters – numbers 16-19, covering 2019 – are now available to download as PDFs.… Read more
Coloured pottery at the Ness – new paper published
A new paper - Analysis of coloured Grooved Ware sherds from the Ness of Brodgar, Orkney - has just been published on the scientific analysis of this pot in the Journal of Archaeological Science. Read more
