The third volume in the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute’s research series was officially launched on Wednesday evening.
The Ness of Brodgar: As it Stands focuses on the ongoing excavation of a complex of Neolithic buildings in Stenness, Orkney, and is a major drawing together of all the strands of information available to date.
The background to the site, its discovery, excavation, the science and other specialisms being employed to tease out the story are all explored in the richly illustrated book.
Opening the launch event in Kirkwall, Orkney, Professor Jane Downes, director of the UHI Archaeology Institute, described the new volume as a “splendid addition” to the institute’s research series.
She said: “The Ness of Brodgar is the flagship excavation of the Archaeology Institute – an excavation that has grown to be of such importance to Orkney, not only economically, which it undoubtedly has been evidenced to be, but to a whole range of people, from students, tour guides, schools and Orkney visitors, to whom the site has become an annual highlight.
“This book has been eagerly awaited by legions of students, professional and amateur archaeologists and Ness of Brodgar and Orkney enthusiasts from all over the world. For the UHI Archaeology Institute this is a proud moment indeed.”
Discovered in 2003, UHI excavation at the Ness of Brodgar began in 2005 and the interim monograph features contributions from institute staff as well as specialists from around the world. The result is 27 chapters, each devoted to different aspects of the site, its excavation and interpretation.
Edited by Nick Card, Mark Edmonds and Anne Mitchell, The Ness of Brodgar: As it Stands is available from bookshops priced £35.99. Purchasing online from www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk will see proceeds from each sale go to the excavation funds.
The second volume in the UHI Archaeology Institute series, Landscapes Revealed: Geophysical Survey in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Area, was launched in September and also available from bookshops.
