The backfilling operation continues, with work in Trench P almost complete

Backfilling the trenches began with Trench J on August 16. And now, having been hampered slightly by the wet conditions, work on Trench P is all but complete.

By the next summer the excavation site will return to being a green field, with the archaeology safely back in the conditions that protected it for over 5,000 years.

After 20 years of careful excavation, the notion that we are reburying the archaeology still elicits comment.

But excavation doesn’t continue ad infinitum – it stops when the planned work in the trenches is complete and specific research questions have been, or can be, answered. At the Ness, we’d reached that point and now the focus is analysing all the data gathered over the years.

When excavation ends, backfilling a trench is standard archaeological practice. Unless a site is under threat, from coastal erosion or development, then the goal is to leave as much of the archaeology as possible intact. This allows it to be revisited in the future, when new research questions crop up or advances in techniques and technology could yield further information.

According to ICOMOS: “The most widely reported risk to archaeological heritage is the lack of maintenance and conservation of in situ excavated remains.”

A site left open can deteriorate quickly. The trench edges dry out and collapse while the surfaces and cuts within will suffer from changes in temperature, humidity and rainfall. Not to mention the fact that it wouldn’t take long before any exposed archaeology is covered by weeds.

Physical damage will also occur, and this would be particularly prevalent at the Ness. The stone used in the monumental buildings degrades very quickly if left exposed to the elements. Left uncovered the Ness structures would rapidly disintegrate – something we simply cannot allow to happen.

And that’s not to mention the rabbits…

The long-term survival of the archaeology is paramount. Our duty is to protect the site for future generations, who will be able to pick up where we left off.