The Ness of Brodgar in Orkney is home to an unprecedented complex of 5,000-year-old buildings. Ongoing analysis is illuminating their form and function, as Carly Hilts reports.
Scottish Archaeology Month, Archaeology Scotland’s flagship festival, returns this September to showcase the best of the country’s archaeology, history, and heritage in a month-long programme of events for all ages. Tessa Till shares some highlights; full listings are at www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk/events.
With excavation at the Ness of Brodgar – one of the largest Neolithic sites known in north-west Europe – having finished in August 2024, after a remarkable 20 years of fieldwork, the long process of post-excavation analysis has now commenced.…
Digitising Irish towns New technology developed at the University of Bradford has created digital twins of two historic walled towns on the island of Ireland: Kilmallock in Co. Limerick, Ireland (RIGHT), and Derry/Londonderry in Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland. This new…
Carved stone head found at Skaill Farm dig An excavation at Skaill Farm on Rousay, Orkney, has uncovered an unusual carved stone head. Found by Katie Joss, an undergraduate from the UHI Archaeology Institute, which is leading the investigation, the…
Detailed archaeological analysis and archival research has revealed the identity of a mysterious ship whose timbers were recently exposed on an Orkney beach. Carly Hilts spoke to Ben Saunders to learn more.
A nalysis of a reliquary box long believed to house the remains of Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney in 1106-1117, has confirmed that the container is contemporary with the saint. The story of Magnus’ execution (following a power struggle with…
When skeletal timbers emerged from intertidal deposits at Sand o’Erraby beach on Sanday, Orkney, earlier this year, they were soon identified as part of a shipwreck – specifically, the midships section of a vessel’s lower hull. Current thinking is that…
There are many great archaeological events coming up over the next few months, from conferences and lectures to exhibitions and festivals. If you would prefer to enjoy history and heritage at home, though, there are lots of exciting offerings and resources to choose from, including digitised museum collections, virtual site tours, new documentaries, and educational activities. Amy Brunskill has put together a summary of some of the options available.
A round-up of some of the latest archaeology news from around the UK.
before I leave the Mainland, I must mention one other site of this era, the stunning Neolithic house at St Ola, just south of Kirkwall... Here was discovered the oldest art yet found on the islands.
In the concluding part of our Orkney trilogy (see also CA 394 and 395), Carly Hilts reports on her visit to the Knowe of Swandro on Rousay, where Julie Bond and Caz Mamwell took her through the latest findings from this long-lived but rapidly eroding site.
Since the first hints of Neolithic masonry emerged at the Ness of Brodgar in 2003, two decades of excavations have uncovered an extraordinary complex of monumental stone buildings dating back 5,000 years. The site continues to revolutionise our understanding of this period of prehistory both in Orkney and further afield, and last summer Carly Hilts visited the site and spoke to Nick Card to find out the latest news from the Ness.
The distinctive red sandstone edifice of St Magnus Cathedral is an unmistakeable landmark in Orkney’s largest town – as well as a fascinating repository of Kirkwall’s history. A recent graffiti survey there has recorded hundreds of markings and inscriptions dating from the medieval period to the present day. What can they tell us about the hopes, fears, and experiences of generations of visitors to the sacred site? Carly Hilts toured the cathedral with custodian Fran Flett Hollinrake to find out more.
New isotope analysis of a jawbone found buried against the outside wall of an Iron Age broch at The Cairns on South Ronaldsay, Orkney, has shown that seafood was probably a major part of this person’s diet throughout their lifetime.
Scapa Flow is a vast natural harbour in the Orkneys, to the north of mainland Scotland. In the First World War, it was where the Grand Fleet was based. And in the Second it was the anchorage for the Home Fleet, therefore playing a central role in the naval history of two wars.
Analysis of human remains from the Links of Noltland, Westray, has revealed the first concrete evidence of a major influx of non-local people into Orkney during the Bronze Age – and, uniquely for the period, it appears that this movement of migrants was dominated by women. Carly Hilts reports.
The perfectly preserved Stone Age village of Skara Brae is perhaps Orkney's most celebrated ancient site, offering stunning proof that these northerly islands were once at the cutting edge of Neolithic civilisation. But Skara Brae was only inhabited from about 3200 to 2200 BC – after which date, according to the traditional view, Orkney's fortunes slipped into a decline from which they were slow to recover.
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The balls may have indicated prestige, or have been used as ceremonial objects
The purpose of the balls remains obscure, but they could have been used as weapons to inflict head injuries, or as ritual objects.
Some of the latest news stories from archaeology in the UK, including the discovery of a section of Hadrian's Wall, the launch of a new campaign to protect archaeology as a discipline, and the start of a project analysing Viking remains in Orkney.
The settlement is centuries older than the Stone Age site of Skara Brae.
‘Working on such a high-status site as the Ness of Brodgar, with its beautiful buildings and stunning range of artefacts, it can be all too easy to forget about the people behind this incredible complex.'
A massive incised rock has recently been discovered at the northern end of the Bay of Skaill in Orkney.
The Ness of Brodgar: as it stands Nick Card, Mark Edmonds, and Anne Mitchell (eds) The Orcadian, www.orcadian.co.uk/shop, £35.99 ISBN 978-1912889082 Review CH
Recent DNA analysis of whalebone artefacts found at The Cairns, Orkney, has shed light on the relationship between these marine mammals and the site’s Iron Age community, as well as hinting why the large local broch may have been demolished…
What can cutting-edge photographic technology add to our understanding of Orkney’s Neolithic chambered tombs? Georgina Ritchie explores the possibilities of photogrammetry, with contributions from Steve Farrar and Hugo Anderson-Whymark.
Since 2009, the Scottish Government has been designating themed years to mark specific aspects of Scotland’s cultural and creative life, as well as the country’s natural beauty. As we look back on 2017, the Year of History, Heritage, and Archaeology, Julianne McGraw explores how Scotland’s World Heritage Sites played their part in the festivities.
A newly opened exhibition at Stonehenge documents the diet of the community thought to have been responsible for erecting the main phase of the monument – including the surprisingly far-flung origins of some of their food. Current Archaeology's Carly Hilts spoke to Susan Greaney, Richard Madgwick, and Mike Parker Pearson at the exhibition launch to find out more.
The breathtaking monuments on Rousay, Orkney, have made an internationally celebrated contribution to archaeology. Now, with marine erosion increasingly threatening the island’s coastal heritage, a team has been put together to investigate sites in danger of being lost forever. Steve Dockrill and Julie Bond explain how this work is overturning long-held beliefs.
If there is anything particular you would like to become involved with, then it is best to let the supervisor know at the outset, but don't appear upset if this is not possible.