Orkney’s archaeology steals the show again

Three archaeological digs in Orkney supported by the Council – Swandro in Rousay, Blomuir tomb in Holm, and The Cairns in South Ronaldsay – have captured slots in popular UK-wide programmes this winter. 

All three projects have received grants from Orkney Islands Council’s Archaeological Fund, from a total budget of £40k  per annum, allocated in January each year. Importantly, half of the annual fund is allocated to work in the outer isles. 

The Cairns dig in South Ronaldsay and Blomuir Neolithic passage grave excavation in Holm will feature on ‘Digging for Britain’ on BBC2 on Thursday 9 January 2025, at 8pm. Renowned historian and archaeologist Professor Alice Roberts visited Orkney this summer to film at the sites for the programme. Further details about this upcoming episode are available on the BBC website at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026rg9 

The Swandro excavation in Rousay has featured on the much loved Time Team programme on Youtube www.youtube.com/@TimeTeamOfficial. 

The fantastic image of The Cairns on this page is courtesy of dig director Martin Carruthers, lecturer in archaeology with the UHI Archaeology Institute based at UHI Orkney.  

Orkney Islands Council Convener Graham Bevan said: “As a Council we are proud to have supported these digs over the years and help fund the extraordinary efforts and discoveries  involved.  

“The complexity of these and other ancient settlements in Orkney are testament to the strategic importance of these islands to the people of northern Europe for millennia – and these digs have contributed enormously to our understanding of these times, and the spread of culture, concepts and technologies around the continent.” 

Work at The Cairns in the Windwick area in South Ronaldsay has been ongoing since 2006, run by director Martin Carruthers, a lecturer in archaeology with the UHI Archaeology Institute based at UHI Orkney.  The investigation is currently focusing on the excavation of a large Atlantic Roundhouse, or broch, and associated structures from various phases through the Iron Age and Norse period. The broch is a massive structure around 21.5m in diameter, with walls 5m thick in places, surviving 2m in height – it's thought the structure may have been up to five times that height originally. The excavation is funded by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Orkney Islands Council Archaeology Fund, and UHI Archaeology Institute based at UHI Orkney.   

The excavation at Blomuir Neolithic passage grave, Holm - directed by Dr Hugo Anderson-Whymark, National Museums Scotland, and Professor Vicki Cummings, Cardiff University – took place in 2023 and 2024 and revealed traces of a substantial cairn, over 15 metres in diameter, containing a stone chamber accessed through a seven-metre-long passage. One of only 12 passage tombs in Orkney, the ‘rediscovered’ monument uniquely held well-preserved and undisturbed human remains despite being extensively robbed for stone in the early 19th century. It's hoped modern scientific techniques, including DNA analysis, will reveal much about the life of those placed within the structure. The excavation is funded by the British Academy, Society of Antiquaries of London, Orkney Islands Council Archaeology Fund, University of Central Lancashire and National Museums Scotland. 

The excavation at Swandro in Rousay, led by the University of Bradford has been working in partnership with the Swandro-Orkney Coastal Archaeology Trust since 2010 to explore and record the large settlement at the Knowe of Swandro, thought to have been occupied from around 1000BC to AD1200 and consisting of Iron Age roundhouses, Pictish buildings, a Viking settlement and a Norse Long Hall. One third of the round house has already been lost to the sea, and continued excavation relies on public donations to the Trust. Historic Environment Scotland also supports the research. Earlier this year, the dig picked up the coveted Rescue Excavation of 2024 award by Current Archaeology magazine. You can watch the Swandro episode on Time Team at this link. 

 Orkney Islands Council’s Archaeological Fund supported six projects overall in the most recent round, including the world famous Ness of Brodgar Excavations. In addition to the Ness and The Cairns, Swandro and Blomuir Neolithic passage grave, the Fund also supported geophysical survey work at the Broch of Ayre in Holm by ORCA (Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology at UHI Archaeology Institute) and excavation at Skaill Farm in Rousay exploring  the archaeologies of the Rousay Clearances and the Westness estate by Orkney Coastal Archaeology Trust. 

More information about the Fund can be found on the Council website at https://www.orkney.gov.uk/our-services/enterprise-and-economic-growth/community-development/archaeological-fund/.