Digging to resume after ‘big surprise’ at Ness of Brodgar

Digging is set to resume at the internationally-renowned Ness of Brodgar after a new and exciting discovery could shed new light on the site’s 5,000-year-old story.

Archaeologists are remaining tight-lipped on what that discovery is — but excavations are set to restart next summer.

The discovery has stunned archaeologists and according to the site director, Nick Card, has been a “big surprise”.

It has come about after experts from Time Team focused their ground-penetrating radar on the 2.5-hectare site in July.

The site has been filled in after two decades of excavations, which brought visitors to Orkney from across the world.

Previous geophysical surveys established the extent of the Ness — just under ten per cent of which had been excavated.

But the radar technology can capture lawyer-upon-layer of what lies beneath the surface, allowing Time Team to create a 3-D model of the structure.

Mr Card says that the results revealed “quite a few surprises”, but that “one in particular was unexpected to say the least.”

The archaeologist describes the discovery as a form that seems “totally at odds” with the rest of the site — which features “straight lines and rectangular forms”.

“Whatever it turns out to be, this is an exciting discovery, evidence for potentially a hitherto unknown chapter in the story of the Ness, and worth pursuing through limited small-scale excavation,” Mr Card adds.

“So what we intend to do, with funding provided by Time Team, is open a small trench to investigate this anomaly – yes more excavation!”

The archaeologists are hoping to be back on the site in July 2026.