The Cairns dig diary – day 30
After 20 years of excavation, the UHI Archaeology Institute’s research dig at The Cairns has now come to an end. With the work on the site now completed, it’s time for site director Martin Carruthers to sum up…
Category: Excavation
Back to Sanday to continue excavating Spurness Neolithic structure
We’re back in Sanday this week, with excavations resuming at a prehistoric site at Spurness on Sunday.
Time Team’s Ness of Brodgar special now available online
Professors Jane Downes and Ingrid Mainland are among the familiar faces seen in the new Time Team special on the Ness of Brodgar excavations.
Dig diary – Week one at Skaill, Rousay
An update on the first week at Skaill from site director Dan Lee.
The Cairns dig diary – day 29
Pressure builds on penultimate day – today’s update from Iain Healy.
The Cairns dig diary – day 28
Today’s excavation update from Craig Barnes.
The Cairns dig diary – day 27
Today’s site update from PhD student Julia Brunner.
The Cairns dig diary – day 26
As we enter the final week of The Cairns dig, an update from Ole Thoenies.
Time Team drops by the Archaeology Institute ahead of Shetland dig
Ahead of their trip to Shetland, for a dig involving the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA), Time Team’s Matt Williams popped by the institute to speak to Professor Jane Downes and ORCA’s senior projects manager, Paul Clarke.
The Cairns dig diary – day 24
Today’s update from The Cairns by site director Martin Carruthers.
The Cairns dig diary – day 22
Site wide progress, finds and a farewell to Rick – today’s diary update from Carrie Davis.
Back in Rousay for three-week excavation at Skaill Farm
Our second dig of the 2026 season gets under way tomorrow, with archaeologists, students and volunteers from the UHI Archaeology Institute back at the multi-period settlement site at Skaill, Rousay.
The Cairns dig diary – day 20
Important findings and progress – Friday’s update from site director Martin Carruthers.
The Cairns dig diary – day 19
Today’s excavation update from student Declan Fladstol.
The Cairns dig diary – day 18
Past the half-way point – today’s site update from UHI student Jemima Hall.
The Cairns dig diary – day 17
The finds keep coming – today’s update from site director Martin Carruthers.
The Cairns dig diary – day 16
Good progress and more copper alloy. – today’s update from UHI student Tim Hewson.
The Cairns dig diary – day 15
A fine day for some enigmatic discoveries – the end of week three at The Cairns and an update from site director Martin Carruthers.
The Cairns dig diary – day 14
An amazing day of artefacts – today’s update from site director Martin Carruthers.
The Cairns dig diary – day 13
Working through key occupation layers – today’s update from volunteer Lauren English.