[Stones] Orcadian Discoveries

[Merryn Dineley]

See www.orkneyjar.com for the dig blog and some amazing photos.

The latest ones from the crane are the best, taken on Friday last. 
Nobody here on the dig has ever said 'temples'or even 'dwellings'; they 
say mysterious, we cannot possibly know what it all means. I reckon it 
is the neolithic visitor centre, where folk found food, drink and 
hospitality when they came to visit the stones. Good finds: masses of 
Grooved ware, albeit poorly preserved and a macehead, decorated stone 
and more besides. The buildings are huge and there appears to be a big 
neolithic wall. The Ness of Brodgar is like a settlement tell, with 
neolithic stuff enough to keep the diggers busy for decades.

I am lucky enough to stay here on Orkney and even get to do the 
volunteer Ranger thing once or twice a week around the Ring of Brodgar. 
Should anyone on the list want to come for a holiday, we have a little 
house where they could stay on South Ronaldsay. Basic but habitable.
Merryn




Tim P wrote:
>  From The Times
> August 14, 2007
> Neolithic village found in Orkney sheds new light on Stone Age life
> David Lister
> 
> The remains of a Neolithic settlement discovered in Orkney were hailed 
> yesterday as potentially as important as the Skara Brae village on the 
> islands.
> 
> The 2.5 hectare site is believed to date back nearly 5,000 years and to 
> include a complex system of temples and dwellings spread over two 
> fields. The find, at Ness of Brodgar, between the Ring of Brodgar and 
> the Stones of Stenness, will add to the area’s reputation as home to 
> some of the most remarkable archaeological monuments in Europe.
> 
> More here:
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2253781.ece
> 
> 
> Tim (now I know why I just itch to get back to Orkney after two working 
> trips there last year, lucky git I am; barely a day goes past without 
> thinking about the Orcadian tombs, and wanting to just spend ages on 
> those islands)
>