The Summer Wind – Ness excavation 2013
The 2018 excavation season was blessed with nearly two months of uninterrupted sunshine and fair weather.
How easy it is to forget how bad conditions can be on site –… Read more
From 2004, 20 years of excavation on the Ness of Brodgar revealed a huge complex of monumental Neolithic buildings from the centuries around 3000BC.
Without parallel in Atlantic Europe, the site’s three hectares are filled with huge stone structures containing spectacular finds.
These made the Ness one of the most important archaeological sites in the world today, changing our understanding of Neolithic Orkney and shining a new light on the prehistory of northern Europe.
Fieldwork ended in 2024 and the focus is now on the post-excavation analysis of the data gathered. This will lead to full publication with much more available online.
In addition, we will continue working with local communities and schools to develop educational and other resources.
The project is mainly funded through the generosity of the public through our two supporting charities, the Ness of Brodgar Trust and the American Friends.
Ross at the Ness of Brodgar…
Among the 160 diggers working at the Ness this summer was Ross Drummond, an MSc student studying archaeology at the University of the Highlands and Islands.
Ross’s Ness experience was one… Read more
Trench J in 3D
An updated model of Trench J – containing Structure Five and a section of the “Great Wall of Brodgar” – created by supervisor Paul at the end of this season’s… Read more
From the Art Hut
This year the Art Hut was upgraded from the wooden shed of last year to a large portacabin generously supplied by Orkney Aggregates – and the number of artists increased… Read more
Dig Diary – Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Day Thirty-Eight
That’s all folks!
Well folks, that’s it.
The 2018 dig season at the Ness is now over.
Trowels have been replaced with tyres and the huge task of… Read more
Dig Diary – Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Day Thirty-Seven
Plans, pics and 3D models…
It’s a sobering thought, but after today there is just one more excavation day left.
What do we do with it? Well, we… Read more
Dig Diary – Monday, August 20, 2018
Day Thirty-Six
Two new buildings and a possible Beaker shard
We must own up. There is a degree of lassitude around the site today, partly as a reaction to yesterday’s… Read more
Dig Diary – Sunday, August 19, 2018
Day Thirty-Five
Sunshine brings crowds flocking to final Open Day
Over 1,100 visitors flocked to the Ness today to view the site and special events laid on for the final… Read more
Dig Diary – Thursday, August 16, 2018
Day Thirty-Four
Second macehead of the season
We’ll break all the rules of diary writing and start with a couple of apologies.
If this diary is a little late in… Read more
Day Thirty-Three in pictures…
Rain brought work to a halt again today. But here’s a few pictures.… Read more
Dig Diary – Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Day Thirty-Three
The luck of the Irish!
Well, it had to happen.
After the best summer excavation weather that any of us can remember (in this country at least) the… Read more
The Ness in the news…
Some links to recent news stories and articles:
Elisabeth Holder – Working Away
British Archaeology Magazine – the printed magazine features a review of Woody Musgrove’s new book, Ness of… Read more
