Excavations to end at Ness of Brodgar

The final season of excavation at the Ness of Brodgar will take place in 2024, after which the remains of the 5,000-year-old Neolithic complex will be covered over and backfilled.

Discovered in 2003, the Orkney archaeological site has gone on to attract thousands of visitors each summer digging season.

The excavation has uncovered a complex of Neolithic buildings, dating from around 3300BC to 2900BC, and flanked by a pair of massive stone walls.

The size, quality, and architecture of the structures — together with evidence for tiled roofs, coloured walls, decorated stone and stunning artefacts — has seen the Ness hit the headlines regularly over the past two decades.

But although on-site excavation is ending, research will continue.

The project is managed by the Ness of Brodgar Trust in partnership with the UHI Archaeology Institute.

For the full story, pick up this week’s edition of The Orcadian.