Summer exhibition puts The Cairns excavation in the spotlight

Excavation in the interior of The Cairns broch, South Ronaldsay. (ORCA)

The Stromness Museum’s summer exhibition opens today, Saturday, and puts the ongoing excavation at The Cairns, South Ronaldsay, firmly in the spotlight.

The Cairns: Living in the Landscape, the exhibition features artefacts from the Iron Age broch site – including the 2,000-year-old wooden bowl found in the waterlogged “well”, beneath the broch, in 2018.

The Archaeology Institute UHI excavation at The Cairns began in 2006, with the investigation now focusing on the broch and associated structures from various phases through the Iron Age and Norse period.

The exhibition runs until October 30, with the Stromness Museum open Monday-Saturday from 10am-1pm and 1.45pm-5.00pm.

Excavation at The Cairns is due to resume on June 13, running until July 8.