Focus on finds – worked bone
Worked bone is something of a rarity at the Ness. Not because people were not making things from bone but because the acidic soil means these objects rarely survive. If conditions were a little...
Ness of Brodgar Excavation Blog
Orcadian woodturner inspired by the Neolithic and the Ness
Here is a link to a conversation Michael Sinclair had last year about his work as a wood turner, and his inspiration from Orkney’s Neolithic. Michael and Sara have been consistent supporters of the...
Introducing ceramics 2: The excavation process
By Roy Towers Pottery is remarkable stuff. It may be broken, kicked about, scuffed and generally disrespected, but if it stays below ground surface and avoids frost and the plough it can last for...
‘The most incredible piece of Neolithic decoration found on site’
Dig Diary – Friday, July 31, 2020 Day Twenty Seven years ago today was a day to remember. It was the day that the most incredible piece of Neolithic decoration found on site to...
Incorporating the Ness – new cards and prints now available
Handmade prints and cards by Orcadian mixed media artist Samantha Gray with a distinctive Ness flavour are now available from our online shop. Samantha approached us several years ago looking for a supply of...
Stone spatulate tools from the Ness of Brodgar – research presentation
The spatulate stone tools found at the Ness over the past few years were the subject of a research project in 2019. Archaeology Institute UHI graduate Gary Lloyd was awarded a Carnegie Vacation Scholarship...
The first suggestion of Iron Age remodelling of Trench T mound
Dig Diary – Thursday, July 30, 2020 Day Nineteen July 30, 2012, saw some intense thinking about the site by site director Nick. Building on the detailed stratigraphic by the site supervisors, was beginning...
Focus on finds – the Orkney vole
Among the animal remains found at the Ness over the years are hundreds of bones from the Orkney vole (Microtus arvalis orcadensis). This small mammal is not found in mainland Britain – only Orkney...
From the Art Hut – the weather is part of the team…
By Karen Wallis This watercolour of incoming clouds represents my love affair with Orkney skies, together with weather, as a constant feature of the excavations. On my first day as an Artist in Residence,...
Astonished by the scale of the trench-spanning mega-drain
Dig Diary – Wednesday, July 29, 2020 Day Eighteen We kick of proceedings today in Structure Eight, which has revealed much in the way of finds – including huge quartz pebbles, a whale’s tooth,...
Wednesday wildlife – week fifteen
It’s Wednesday again, so time for another selection of photographs from dig director Nick Card. Click on any image for a larger version.
The ‘Brodgar Boy’ emerges … but what was it?
Dig Diary – Tuesday, July 28, 2020 Day Seventeen On this day in 2011, the “Brodgar Boy” emerged from Structure Fourteen. The small clay “figurine” was about only 30mm (1.18in) high but seemed to...
Reconstruction drawings – moving beyond the brownish green
By Cecily Webster An introduction to reconstruction A reconstruction drawing is a lot of responsibility. Humans are wired to believe their eyes, and the younger an image is seen, the more permanent the impression....
