By Bernie Bell

This year saw the final dig season at the Ness of Brodgar

http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16925

…which is being marked by a major exhibition about The Ness in Tankerness House Museum, Kirkwall.  This is a not-to-be-missed-if-you-can-possibly-help-it opportunity to see the artifacts from, and information about The Ness, collected together in one place – who knows when or if that will happen again?  HES/OIC/Whoever  please take note  – an Interpretive Centre is needed for one of the most important archaeological discoveries of recent times.

An Interpretive Centre for the whole of this ceremonial/sacred/pilgrimage site, is needed.  Not just wanted, but needed.

I digress…..back to the Ness exhibition….

As the King in ‘Alice’ advised, we started at the beginning, went on until the end, then stopped.

We went through the shop, passing an archaeologist at work

And, tucked away in the corner, tyres and tarpaulin which were an essential part of protecting The Ness between dig seasons

Then, up the curving stair to look down on an example of the kind of grid which was used in the dig

And so to the upstairs exhibition space

The most straight-forward way to go about this is if I present the information boards, and then the display which they accompany

I should explain that this is an approximation of the size of an Auroch – a breed of cattle no longer in existence – which it’s possible that the Neolithic people bred with their domestic cattle,  hoping to increase their size.

 From the HUGE – to the tiny…..Vole bones in a pleasing arrangement

And the in-between

Back down the curving stair to the ground floor exhibition space and an image of the Ness of Brodgar in its landscape

Various Mace-heads & Axes

And a VERY BIG Saddle Quern

Small finds – including a fossil sea-urchin, rubbed smooth and shiny by use

What’s known as the ‘Brodgar Butterfly

And….details

I don’t know who put this particular exhibit together, but It’s very cleverly done.  Mike looks like he stepping into the site/Jeanne’s painting….  https://jeannebouzarose.me/ – if only!

An Orkney Vole – peeking

Structure 10

…where many wonders were found, including the EOASSK

Mathematical Musings of the Neolithic Kind

Finally – the first photo I took at the Ness was of this piece of pottery, discovered at the dig in 2009

Site Director Nick Card was showing us the finds for the day, and it caught my eye – I liked the shapes, and that it showed real craftsmanship.

I had no idea what was yet to come!

A book has been produced to accompany the exhibition….next best thing to being there

Speaking of which, the exhibition finishes on September the 28^th.  I said it before, and I’ll say it again – not to be missed.