CHAT archaeology conference to discuss rural areas
The University of the Highlands and Island Archaeology Institute is hosting an exciting international conference this autumn and encourages Orkney Residents to register for the event.
Month: August 2016
Archaeology, Teaching and Learning for Class 6
Making a Ness of Brodgar carved stone ball
Chris Gee, of the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, set out to remake a Ness of Brodgar carved stone ball using just stone tools and no complicated maths.
Nick Card to present at World Archaeology Congress in Japan
When Nick Card finishes work on one of the world’s most exciting Neolithic archaeological excavations, he is boarding a plane and flying to Japan to present a paper to the World Archaeology Congress.
Intriguing structure found in Ness of Brodgar’s Trench T
It is a given in archaeology, that the most perplexing finds are unearthed in the final stages of a dig. So, as the dig at Ness of Brodgar in Orkney started the final week, some of the most intriguing finds of the season started to be unearthed in Trench T.
The enigmatic structure at Smerquoy
The excavation at Smerquoy had advanced a great deal since my last visit. A new trench had been completed. But before Colin Richards and Christopher Gee talked me through this enigmatic area, they guided me over to the back of the site, where some of the earliest houses in Orkney were built during the Neolithic.
New Research – trading identities and Viking horse burials in Scotland
New research by University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute PhD student Siobhan Cooke, explores the use of animals, particularly horses, in Viking funerary rituals across Scotland and how these rituals were used to help develop a cultural identity in the rapidly expanding Viking realm.
Smerquoy – Early Neolithic settlement finds
The structures at Smerquoy were built before the well known structures at the Ness of Brodgar, which in itself is impressive, but Chris, together with his team from the University of Manchester and the University of Central Lancashire, are progressing towards establishing whether all the houses visible in the geophysics were contemporary with each other or built over time with some buildings being abandoned as others were built.
Marine Archaeology Side Scan Sonar Course – 24th September 2016
Uncovering the Early Neolithic at Smerquoy
Work is progressing well at the site of Smerquoy, on the Orkney Mainland. A team of archaeologists are beginning to uncover the sequence of early Neolithic house construction at the site.
The Smerquoy Excavation 2016
The excavation at Smerquoy on the north-west facing slope of Wideford Hill, near Kirkwall, Orkney got under way last week.
Kirkwall Garden Dig Success
The Ness of Brodgar – the site that keeps on giving
The excavation season at The Ness of Brodgar has just a few weeks to run. So it is a good time to take stock. Site Director Nick Card talks about the findings so far.
Magic moments at the Ness open day
Yesterday, July 31, was the first Ness of Brodgar Open Day of 2016. There were displays in two locations that helped to tell the story of this amazing site.