Ness success acknowledged in Scottish Parliament

The debating chamber, Holyrood.

The Ness of Brodgar has been congratulated in the Scottish Parliament for its success in the 2019 Shanghai Archaeology Forum Field Discovery Awards.

The motion (detailed below) was tabled by Orkney MSP Liam McArthur and is the second time the project has been acknowledged at Holyrood. The first was in 2011, when the excavation won the Current Archaeology Research Project of the Year.

Motion S5M-19892: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 14/11/2019

That the Parliament congratulates Ness of Brodgar Excavations in Orkney on winning the 2019 Shanghai Archaeology Forum Field Discovery Award from a shortlist of 141 global nominations; notes that this award recognises archaeological excavations that have uncovered major discoveries that significantly advance or alter understanding of the human past; acknowledges that the Orkney site, which is one of the most significant archaeological finds in Western Europe, was nominated by members of the German Archaeological Institute and the University of Cambridge; recognises that the project is managed by the University of Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute in conjunction with the Ness of Brodgar Trust; congratulates the volunteers and staff, including the site director, Nick Card, on their hard work and achievements in archaeological research being recognised on the global stage; thanks them for furthering knowledge and awareness of Neolithic life in Orkney through their outstanding and innovative efforts, and wishes the project continued success for the 2020 excavation season and beyond.
Supported by: Bill Kidd, Edward Mountain, Tom Arthur, Liam Kerr, Ruth Maguire, Gil Paterson.