Orkneyjar Archeology News - The Ring of Brodgar Excavation 2008

Introduction

Colin Richards and I welcome you to our Ring of Brodgar web diary!

Over the coming weeks, we will be excavating two trenches across the mighty ditch that surrounds the stone circle.

The northernmost trench, trench A, will be supervised by Bob Nunn of Bournemouth University (and this will be the wet one!) while the southernmost, trench C, will be supervised by Antonia Thomas from ORCA, Orkney College UHI.

Colin has brought a group of undergraduates with him from Manchester University. These, and all the other members of the team, will be introducing themselves to you as the days go by…

Excavation Directors

Dr Jane Downes has wide-ranging experience over decades of all aspects of archaeological fieldwork, post excavation and publication in the commercial and research spheres.

Jane is head of teh archaeology department at Orkney College, UHI, and has set up the MA / Pg. Dip. in Archaeological Practice.

She has particular research interests in burial archaeology, and in prehistoric and landscape archaeology within which she has published extensively.

She also has expertise in the management and sustainable development of landscape and cultural heritage resources, and directs the ESSENCE project.

Jane is a member of the IFA, and chairs of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site Research Committee.

Dr Colin Richards, from the University of Manchester, specializes in Neolithic archaeology, architecture and monumentality and ethnoarchaeology. He has directed a series of large research projects in Orkney, initially concentrating on Neolithic settlements.

The first project involved the discovery and excavation of a late Neolithic 'village' at Barnhouse in Stenness. The second project continued research into Neolithic settlement on Mainland Orkney and resulted in the discovery of three further habitation sites - Stonehall, Wideford and Crossiecrown.

He has also been examining the construction of late Neolithic stone circles – in particular locating the quarries from which the massive monoliths are derived and the social processes of quarrying, moving and erecting the stones. A 'megalithic' quarry at Vestrafiold, in the West Mainland, Orkney, which supplied stones for the Stones of Stenness and Ring of Brodgar, has been investigated and evidence recovered for the quarrying and moving of stones. Also, an associated megalithic tomb at the quarry has been excavated.