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Tuesday 11 August 2015

Ness of Brodgar Dig 2015



About this time of year for the last few years I've been posting photos from a fantastic archaeological dig in Orkney, the Ness of Brodgar.  The BBC have featured the site in various programmes and it has also been featured in the National Geographic magazine.  It is quite an extraordinary site, both in size and in the structures and artifacts being discovered.

There is a dig diary here  and for enthusiasts - you can buy a guide book from here written by Nick Card, dig director, Roy Towers and Mark Edmonds.

The earliest structures at the Ness of Brodgar date from c3,300 to 3,200 BC, and the latest ones around 2,200 BC.  So that fits in with the timeline of the other Neolithic sites in Orkney such as Skara Brae, Maes Howe, Tomb of the Eagles, the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness.  The Ness of Brodgar geographically sits between the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness.  In a broader sense in Britain this was BEFORE Stonehenge which dates from c2,500.

I have very little knowledge of archaeology but I just love going along to the site and spending time watching the painstaking work.  There is always an air of excitement as each day something new unfolds.  Even the "commonplace" is fascinating and tells a story.


Even to my untrained eye it's possible to make out distinct structures....


This is a photo of a structure that has been labelled "The Many Coloured Hall" which has "piers" of stone intruding into the space.  Coloured or "painted" stone has been discovered here too.  Plastic sheeting and tyres are used to protect areas that are to be explored further.





Around the site are explanations of some of the structures for visitors to get a better understanding of, what to the uninitiated, seems like a pile of stones!

The dig lasts six weeks this year and next, 2 weeks in July and 4 weeks in August.  There's lots of activity with archaeology students and experienced archaeologists scraping and brushing and generally have a good "rummage" around in a very ordered way.

Here are a selection of photos of the site....









There are three tours a day at the site led by experts, and a great viewing platform to see the overall site from.


The tours are great, but I also love just stopping by and watching the work progress.  I know one or two folk there who stop and chat about what they're doing or what they've found. Archaeologists are a very friendly bunch it would seem!

This lovely lady stopped to show me her latest find.  Cattle bones!  Dating from about 2,400 BC when it is thought perhaps a great "decomissioing" freast took place where hundreds of cattle were slaughtered and consumed, with bones placed in the surrounding passageways. She was the first person to set eyes on these bones in over 2,000 years, and I saw them soon after! Spine tingling to think I was one of the first people to see them - cattle which would have grazed the land we stood on and looked at the same Hoy Hills we look at today.


A close up - covered in earth, yet to be cleaned, tagged and analysed.



There have been other finds too,  This is a replica of a stone ball found on the site - apparently almost exclusively only found in Scotland (so far).  It's a very tactile object, but it's purpose is unknown.


And this wee spatula (NOT a replica!).  I've got one like this in my kitchen!!


So if you are in Orkney at the end of July or during August 2016 do go along to the site!  And if you're not - keep an eye out for the dig diary!

18 comments:

  1. I think I told you in a comment on an earlier post that we were going to Orkney this year. Well, we did and it was great - this was one of the things we did. We went to one of Roy's talks - fascinating, although it was absolutely freezing standing on that platform. Just as well he was so interesting! It must be even better to be able to go each year and see the changes. I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed by the number of pictures we have of our Orkney and Shetland adventures, but eventually some of them will make it onto Anabel's Travel Blog.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed Roy's talk. He's so enthusiastic! Will definitely check out your blog! And thanks for stopping by to comment. :-)

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  2. Oh don't I wish I was going to Orkney. You are so fortunate to be able to just go along and have a good look. Thanks for the info and the pictures

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    1. We are incredibly lucky! I only got to go twice this year and missed both the open days which were great fun I believe. But lovely to follow it each year.

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  3. I am in awe of how lucky you are to be able to watch the dig, it must be fascinating.

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    1. I'd never been that "into" archaeology before but it IS fascinating seeing a site revealed from the beginning and then the new discoveries each year.

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  4. I'm with Bonnie. Wish I could visit your lil' island AND this marvellous dig.

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    1. If only "they" would get on with teleporting technology!!

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  5. Entering Orkney on my list of must see places... I make it to Scotland every so often so it shouldn't be completely impossible. Thanks for blogging about it!

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    1. Hope you make it one day. Let me know if you do we could meet up or you could come for a trip to Graemsay :-)

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  6. Thanks for this great update, Sian, finds are so exciting. I keep up to date with Twitter as well & follow quite a few folk. Hope you are well and Button too. Jo

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    1. Hi Jo, good to hear from you! I'm not into twitter - I keep thinking I should be but I know it would swallow my time! Yes Button and I are doing OK thanks! Hope you are too?

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  7. Dropping by now and then over the years, almost always impressed by your photos and words, but too lazy to let you know.
    High time to at least leave a short com(pli)ment, eh?
    Herewith done.
    The peace of the night.

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    1. Hi Sean, thank you so much for your comments! Very kind of you . And the peace of the night to you too.

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  8. helen over the water22 August 2015 at 00:46

    I would just like to say a big thank you for such an interesting blog. We recently moved to Stromness and are beginning to explore Orkney. I had started to read your blog after we decided to come and it has been very helpful and informative; thanks for sharing. Great Photos - now I can start taking some myself... Helen

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    1. Hi Helen!! Hope you are settling into life in Orkney? Hope you are going to share YOUR photos too? I love Stromness. My kind of town. Maybe we could meet for a coffee sometime in Julia's? My email is sian.thomas@btinternet.com if you want to get in touch.

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  9. Very interesting.... Would love to see this in person. Hopefully, one day soon. Lorraine

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    1. Hope you do too! It's amazing..... the photos don't really do it justice.

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