The Ness of Brodgar Project

Ness of Brodgar Incised Stone

Structure Thirty

Monday, June 19, 2023 (8:20 AM)

Structure Thirty in relation to the other piered buildings in Trench P.
Structure Thirty in relation to the other piered buildings in Trench P.

The large curving wall face belonging to Structure Thirty protrudes from the edge of Trench P to the south-east of Structure Twelve.

There is not much that can be said about Thirty, given the fact that most of it remains underground. Geophysical survey suggests, however, that Structure Thirty is another very large piered building on the same NNE-SSW alignment as Structure Twelve.

The curvature of its exposed wall also suggests Thirty was larger than its north-western neighbour.

Structure Thirty - highlighted in red - alongside Structures Twelve and Twenty-Six.
Structure Thirty – highlighted in red – alongside Structures Twelve and Twenty-Six.

Excavation in 2023 confirmed that Structure Thirty was built after Twelve.

The building sits higher than Twelve and its northern end appears to have been set back to avoid blocking the view from Structure Twelve’s eastern entrance.

Drone shot showing Structures Thirty, Twenty-Six and Twelve. (Scott Pike)
Drone shot showing Structures Thirty, Twenty-Six and Twelve. (📷 Scott Pike)
Structure Thirty from the eastern entrance annexe of Structure Twelve. (Sigurd Towrie)
Structure Thirty from the eastern entrance annexe of Structure Twelve. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
Structure Thirty's curved wall is pictured in the bottom right of this picture looking towards Structures Twenty-Six and Ten. (Sigurd Towrie)
Structure Thirty’s curved wall is pictured in the bottom right of this picture looking towards Structures Twenty-Six and Ten. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)

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