The Ness of Brodgar Excavation

Sponsor a Find

Sponsor a Find Sample Certificate

Excavating the Ness has produced tens of thousands of finds – pot, worked stone, flint, decorated stone, pumice, charcoal and more besides, not to mention vast quantities of bone and samples.

All of this material holds the story of the Ness of Brodgar.

We must curate it all to the highest standards, for current archaeological science but also for the future when new techniques will allow more questions to be answered. Although all of this is under way, we need more funds to complete this mammoth task and this is where Sponsor a Find comes in.

  • Periodically we will post details of several finds and invite you to sponsor these. The first batch are shown below.
  • No limit on the number of people sponsoring each find.
  • Sponsor the find just once or make regular donations towards its care.
  • Give your sponsorship as a gift to someone else.
  • “Collect” types of finds or from the different trenches and structures.
  • We’ll send you a sponsorship certificate.

The finds

All five of the following artefacts, offered in this new batch of Sponsor a Find, will be on display at the British Museum, London, as part of the exciting The World of Stonehenge exhibition running from February 17, 2022 to July 17, 2022. This is an important exhibition and we’re very pleased that the Ness of Brodgar will figure in it.

The first batch of objects can still be sponsored and are available here.

Cushion Macehead

Cushion macehead from Trench J. (Hugo Anderson-Whymark)

Cushion macehead from Trench J. (Hugo Anderson-Whymark)

  • Small Find no 700
  • Trench J
  • Found July 16, 2007
One of the most stunning early finds from the site. The macehead, like all found at the Ness to date, had been broken across the perforation – a deliberate act before its deposition. Interestingly we have yet to find both halves of the same macehead.
 

Cup-and-ring decorated stone

Cup-and-ring decorated stone. (Antonia Thomas)

Cup-and-ring decorated stone. (Antonia Thomas)

  • Small Find no 3133
  • Structure Ten, Trench P
  • Found August 20, 2010
A large, decorated stone found during the early seasons excavating Structure Ten. The design is one of the few non-linear motifs found on site.
 

Cupmarked stone

Multi-cupmarked stone. (Antonia Thomas)

Multi-cupmarked stone. (Antonia Thomas)

  • Small Find no 7530
  • Structure Ten, Trench P
  • Found August 20, 2010
As you will see, Structure Ten has produced a wealth of decorated stone over the years. Cupmarks, like those covering this large stone, are found throughout the site, often on building walls.
 

Incised Decorated Stone

Two of the decorated faces on the massive stone from Structure Ten. (Antonia Thomas)

Two of the decorated faces on the massive stone from Structure Ten. (Antonia Thomas)

  • Small Find no 16258
  • Structure 10, Trench P
  • Found July 31, 2013
Described on the day it was found as “the finest piece of art we have recovered from the site”, this huge decorated stone was discovered at the base of the later south-west internal corner buttress in Structure Ten. More details of its discovery here and here.
 
The triangular block was one of a number of special deposits found under Structure Ten’s buttresses – including our carved stone ball, a human arm bone and a bone from the wing of a sea eagle.
 

Polished stone spatulate tool

Spatulate tool - one of many now found at the Ness. (Hugo Anderson-Whymark)

Spatulate tool – one of many now found at the Ness. (Hugo Anderson-Whymark)

  • Small Find no 9350
  • Trench P
  • Found August 1, 2011
One of over 70 spoon-like artefacts found at the Ness to date. They are beautifully made, in most cases very delicate and show little sign of use. What were they for? We’re not sure. UHI Archaeology Institute student Gary Lloyd has been researching the artefacts and his presentation can be viewed here.