More secrets uncovered at The Cairns

With the summer here, Orkney’s excavation season is well underway.

Archaeologists, students and volunteers are now all on-site at three major digs across the islands. The Ness of Brodgar is now open for tours, and the team at Swandro has been busy at the spectacular site, right on the Rousay coastline.

Meanwhile, across the Churchill Barriers in South Ronaldsay, excavation work at The Cairns, a large Iron Age complex, has been continuing at pace over recent weeks. Check out our images below to see how the project has been developing so far this year.

This massive broch is the heart of The Cairns dig, which dates from at least the 1st Century BC to the 12th Century AD. The broch and its surrounding village buildings have been rich in artefacts.

One of the main aims for the team this summer is to investigate the construction, use and abandonment of the broch and its associated buildings.

This souterrain, a subterranean structure, will be investigated further this year too. It’s hoped new evidence on how and why it was built and used will be discovered.

There have already been some exciting finds and new revelations about the buildings this year. Artefacts including pins, beads and pottery have been found, as well as a bronze ring.

The plan for the rest of the dig is to find evidence of the earliest Iron Age activity on the site.

The dig is open to visitors every weekday between 10am and 4pm. The site also has an open day on Monday 8th July between 11am and 4pm with everyone welcome to come along and explore the site. The dig closes on 12th July.

Find out more about the Cairns via the links below.

Remember, if you're visiting the site, keep an eye out for signs nearer the location and be considerate of the inhabitants of the neighbouring household, just down slope from the site.