Christmas has come early for the Ness of Brodgar team and archaeology fans around the world thanks to some intriguing results from special surveys carried out at the site during the summer.
It means a small team will be back at the Ness, in the heart of Orkney’s ancient landscape, in 2026 to fully investigate what archaeologists have described as an ‘exciting discovery’.
Data gathered from Ground Penetrating Radar earlier this year has been key to the find. The technique produces imagery across large areas and depths which can then be stitched together to produce a 3D model of underlying archaeology.
These results have revealed a feature ‘totally at odds' with what has previously been found at the Ness. Nick Card, who has led the dig since it was first discovered in 2004, says the find is so unusual it could add a new chapter to the history of the site.
So, two years after digging at the internationally important Neolithic site came to an end, archaeologists will be getting their hands dirty here during an Orkney summer once again.
Thanks to funding from Time Team, a group of experts will open a small trench at the Ness in July 2026 to investigate further. According to the organisers, the feature is well-defined and discrete, so it’s hoped the dig process will be relatively simple and completed within a month.
It will be open to the public, with official dates to come, but potential visitors are being warned not to expect the type of archaeology seen at the site in the past, with its sprawling buildings and scores of archaeologists. The rest of site, now safely tucked away under turf, will also remain covered during this new dig.
It’s very much a case of ‘watch this space’, with summer 2026 set to be very special indeed.
Keep up-to-date with plans for the excavation and the wider Ness of Brodgar project on the official website.
The Ness project is run by the Ness of Brodgar Trust in partnership with the UHI Archaeology Institute.