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(📷 Holly Young)
Excavation Neolithic Northern Exposure Sanday

Spurness 2026 – day four

Trench cleaning, filming and a couple of great finds.

By Sigurd TowrieThursday, July 23, 2026 (9:25pm)Saturday, July 25, 2026 (6:41pm)
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(📷 Dan Lee)
Excavation Skaill Farm

Dig diary – week two at Skaill, Rousay

An update from Skaill farm, Rousay, by Dan Lee.

By Sigurd TowrieThursday, July 23, 2026 (1:03pm)Thursday, July 23, 2026 (1:03pm)
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All set to begin cleaning the trench. (📷 Holly Young)
Excavation Neolithic Northern Exposure Sanday

Spurness 2026 – day three

Deturfing complete, it was time to remove the protective covers…

By Sigurd TowrieWednesday, July 22, 2026 (11:32pm)Saturday, July 25, 2026 (6:41pm)
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(📷 Holly Young)
Excavation Neolithic Northern Exposure Sanday

Spurness 2026 – day two

An exciting day on site – it seems out Neolithic structure might be bigger than we thought.

By Sigurd TowrieTuesday, July 21, 2026 (9:26pm)Saturday, July 25, 2026 (6:42pm)
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Deturfing work begins. (📷 Holly Young)
Excavation Neolithic Sanday

Spurness 2026 – day one

We’re back in Sanday to resume excavation of a wonderful Neolithic structure overlooking the Bay of Stove.

By Sigurd TowrieMonday, July 20, 2026 (9:41pm)Saturday, July 25, 2026 (6:42pm)
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(📷 Iain Healy)
Excavation Iron Age The Cairns

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…

By Sigurd TowrieMonday, July 20, 2026 (5:52pm)Monday, July 20, 2026 (5:52pm)
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The western end chamber of the Neolithic structure. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
Excavation Neolithic Northern Exposure Sanday

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.

By Sigurd TowrieSunday, July 19, 2026 (8:55am)Sunday, July 19, 2026 (10:00am)
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Time Team trailer
Excavation Ness of Brodgar Video

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.

By Sigurd TowrieSaturday, July 18, 2026 (10:20pm)Thursday, August 6, 2026 (10:25am)
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(📷 Dan Lee)
Excavation Skaill Farm

Dig diary – Week one at Skaill, Rousay

An update on the first week at Skaill from site director Dan Lee.

By Sigurd TowrieSaturday, July 18, 2026 (5:30pm)Saturday, July 18, 2026 (5:30pm)
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(📷 Martin Carruthers)
Excavation Iron Age The Cairns

The Cairns dig diary – day 29

Pressure builds on penultimate day – today’s update from Iain Healy.

By Sigurd TowrieThursday, July 16, 2026 (8:37pm)Saturday, July 18, 2026 (5:11pm)
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(📷 Alison Johnston)
News

Bringing Barra’s history to life with new augmented reality archaeology trail

The UHI Archaeology Institute has launched two new interactive, augmented reality archaeology trails in Barra, allowing visitors to experience some of the island’s most significant archaeological sites in an entirely new way, through the Outer Hebrides Unearthed smartphone app.

By Sigurd TowrieThursday, July 16, 2026 (10:01am)Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (8:01pm)
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(📷 Iain Healy)
Excavation Iron Age The Cairns

The Cairns dig diary – day 28

Today’s excavation update from Craig Barnes.

By Sigurd TowrieWednesday, July 15, 2026 (8:23pm)Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (8:24pm)
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The paved entrance passage of the broch, looking into the interior. (📷 Martin Carruthers)
Excavation Iron Age The Cairns

The Cairns dig diary – day 27

Today’s site update from PhD student Julia Brunner.

By Sigurd TowrieTuesday, July 14, 2026 (8:51pm)Tuesday, July 14, 2026 (8:51pm)
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(📷 Martin Carruthers)
Excavation Iron Age The Cairns

The Cairns dig diary – day 26

As we enter the final week of The Cairns dig, an update from Ole Thoenies.

By Sigurd TowrieMonday, July 13, 2026 (8:10pm)Monday, July 13, 2026 (8:10pm)
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Professor Jane Downes, of the UHI Archaeology Institute, with Time Team's Matt Williams ahead of the dig in Shetland. (📷 Time Team)
Excavation News ORCA

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.

By Sigurd TowrieSunday, July 12, 2026 (10:25pm)Sunday, July 12, 2026 (10:25pm)
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Frances Walker, Clashach Cove (North Sea Glimpses), 1996, lithograph and screenprint, 46.3 x 61.5 cm. Peacock Archive, Aberdeen Archives, Galleries & Museums. © Frances Walker (2007)
Art & Archaeology Research

Funding secured for North Sea heritage doctoral research consortium

The UHI Archaeology Institute is proud to be a core partner in a significant new investment from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), as part of a Focal Award in Art History, Visual Arts and Creative Practice to establish North Sea Heritage in Transitions (NHT).

By Sigurd TowrieSaturday, July 11, 2026 (10:21pm)Monday, July 13, 2026 (7:41pm)
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(📷 Martin Carruthers)
Archaeology Excavation Iron Age The Cairns

The Cairns dig diary – day 24

Today’s update from The Cairns by site director Martin Carruthers.

By Sigurd TowrieThursday, July 9, 2026 (8:31pm)Saturday, July 11, 2026 (10:26pm)
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(📷 Martin Carruthers)
Excavation Calendar 2018 Iron Age The Cairns

The Cairns dig diary – day 23

A walk around the site with Django on his last day…

By Sigurd TowrieWednesday, July 8, 2026 (9:07pm)Saturday, July 11, 2026 (10:26pm)
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(📷 Iain Healy)
Excavation Iron Age The Cairns

The Cairns dig diary – day 22

Site wide progress, finds and a farewell to Rick – today’s diary update from Carrie Davis.

By Sigurd TowrieTuesday, July 7, 2026 (8:26pm)Saturday, July 11, 2026 (10:25pm)
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Research

Kirbuster Farm event marks launch of new ‘Sooans’ project

A new project looking at sowens – a heritage food made from oats and a dietary staple in bygone years – has launched, with a special event at Kirbuster Farm, Orkney, at the weekend.

By Sigurd TowrieMonday, July 6, 2026 (7:25pm)Monday, July 6, 2026 (7:25pm)
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  • A survey on the St Magnus Way, created by Dr Ragnhild Ljosland, will be launched at a drop-in event in the Harray Hall on Sunday, October 4.
    6 days ago
  • Orkney Islands Council’s archaeology fund re-opens for Orkney project applications.
    1 week ago
  • Join artist Kirsty Russell and archaeologist Dan Lee to explore marine energy sites and stories in Fittie, on Saturday, October 3, for a TRANSECTS creative walking event.
    2 weeks ago
  • On a suitably blustery day, ORCA’s Dan Lee was joined by Neil Kermode (Orkney Renewable Energy Forum) on walk/talk on Orkney wind energy history in the West Mainland this afternoon. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
    4 weeks ago
A survey on the St Magnus Way, created by Dr Ragnhild Ljosland, will be launched at a drop-in event in the Harray Hall on Sunday, October 4.
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A survey on the St Magnus Way, created by Dr Ragnhild Ljosland, will be launched at a drop-in event in the Harray Hall on Sunday, October 4.
6 days ago
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Orkney Islands Council’s archaeology fund re-opens for Orkney project applications.
@uhiarchaeology
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Orkney Islands Council’s archaeology fund re-opens for Orkney project applications.
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
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Join artist Kirsty Russell and archaeologist Dan Lee to explore marine energy sites and stories in Fittie, on Saturday, October 3, for a TRANSECTS creative walking event.
@uhiarchaeology
@uhiarchaeology
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Join artist Kirsty Russell and archaeologist Dan Lee to explore marine energy sites and stories in Fittie, on Saturday, October 3, for a TRANSECTS creative walking event.
2 weeks ago
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On a suitably blustery day, ORCA’s Dan Lee was joined by Neil Kermode (Orkney Renewable Energy Forum) on walk/talk on Orkney wind energy history in the West Mainland this afternoon. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
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On a suitably blustery day, ORCA’s Dan Lee was joined by Neil Kermode (Orkney Renewable Energy Forum) on walk/talk on Orkney wind energy history in the West Mainland this afternoon. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
4 weeks ago
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Northern Exposure

TRANSECTS

The Cairns

The Ness of Brodgar

Skaill, Rousay

Swartigill, Caithness

Tombs of the Isles Project

Industrial Heritage of the North Isles

Gaan Nort - An Oral History of Orkney's North Isles
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Archaeology Orkney

UHI Archaeology Institute

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UHI Archaeology Institute, UHI Orkney, East Road, Kirkwall. KW15 1LX
(01856) 569000
sigurd.towrie@uhi.ac.uk
8am-5pm. Monday to Friday

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  • Video : ‘Scotland, Jamaica and slavery – a concise history’