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 …

What is the Ness of Brodgar? The Ness of Brodgar is a strip of land, in Orkney’s West Mainland, that separates the Harray and Stenness lochs. Its name derives from the Old Norse nes – headland; brúar – bridge and garðr – farm, and translates roughly as …

Countless thousands had passed the giant mound while travelling between the Ring of Brodgar and Stones of Stenness. But, despite some clues over the centuries , few gave it a second glance. In 2002, a project to geophysically survey the entire Orkney World Heritage Site began.

2024年12月31日 · Soil acidity at the Ness means worked bone and bone tools are something of a rarity. But 2024 saw four well-preserved examples emerge. Read more

The Ness of Brodgar site is now closed to the public. If, however, you would like a private tour with project director Nick Card (if he is available) or Sigurd Towrie – we ask for a minimum donation to project funds of £250 or £12 per head, whichever is the larger.

Throughout history the Ness of Brodgar has served as a natural route between the north-west and central Mainland. With evidence of Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age activity on the isthmus, there is no reason to doubt it was different in prehistory.

2025年1月6日 · The Ness of Brodgar. Excavation. Trench plans. Explore the trenches. Excavation summaries. Post-excavation. The discovery. Monumental complex. Trench P. Str One. Str Eight. Str Ten. Str Twelve. Str Fourteen. Str Twenty-Six. Trench T. Str Twenty-Seven. Trench J. Str Five. Str Thirty-Two. The 'Great Wall' The centre of their world.

At its zenith, around 3100BC, this complex was made up of enormous freestanding buildings, flanked by massive stone walls, and dominated the Ness. Twenty years of excavation revealed multiple phases of activity spanning the entire Neolithic period …

2024年12月7日 · But the bits we could see were covered in light incised decoration, including a Ness “butterfly” motif. Because the slab was underneath later material it couldn’t be removed at the time. In August, the overlying elements were removed and the stone slab extracted.

Double delight for Ness of Brodgar at 2024 Current Archaeology Awards Three Orkney awards! Ness collects Archaeologist of the Year and Research Project of the Year titles at Current Archaeology Awards, and Swandro, Rousay, named Rescue Project of the Year.