I too am Australian, and i can only imagine the feelings you must be experiencing as this dig closes down. It must be like saying goodbye to a family member. So i congratulate you and the team for the monumental achievement you’ve accomplished on this great Monument! 👍🏼👍🏼
I visited the three other sites on Orkney from New Zealand in 2014. As my late father was in the Royal Navy from 1932 to 1945, I was also able to see what remains of the naval base at Scapa Flow, and also visit the cathedral at Kirkwall. All in all a very enjoyable day finished off at the Italian Chapel on the way to Berwick to take the boat to John’O Groats. I have been following TH-cam posts of the Neolithic sites in Europe, most of which are mainly in the British Isles, and have read many books on the subject to get an overall idea of how people lived in earlier eras.
I had no idea that it would get covered up, and soon, too! I'm quite shocked, I assumed it would be like Skara Brae, open forever ... Maybe I should book that holiday for next month, though it has been on my 'To Do' list for 20 years
We think a lot of folk expected that, but the type of stone is just so different and wouldn't survive like the material used at Skara Brae 😞 It closes on Friday 16th August so it will all be covered up next month unfortunately.
It’s almost unimaginable that Neolithic people, Stone Age people built such technically sophisticated structures. They hadn’t developed our technology but they were certainly as smart as we think we are today.
Was there in 2015, stunned by the scale of the structures and the amount of effort going in. But it seems the amount of data collected has exceeded the ability of researchers to make sense of it all. It seems a good time to call pause on the data collection, and get down to a serious review of the meaning of it all. Once that's done, the parts that need re-excavation may be clearer, allowing more efficient archaeology. And best of all, those parts will be there for visitors in future centuries.
A wonderful project that will continue in another form. So pleased it will be preserved for future exploration, yet so sad I will not be able to visit when open. I still don’t understand why more is not taught, in schools, about Neolithic life. Maybe it will be in the future too. Thanks to every member over the 20 years of the project, for their hard work and dedication. ❤
That's not really doable, the site guide explained to us, because the whole area contains much more archaeology than has so far been excavated, right down to and under the water on both sides. Building any kind of structure on the site would entail destroying structures and archaeology in situ.
It's such a shame it has to all be hidden away again but fully understandable. There's clearly been an immense amount of hard work gone into this over the years and I look forward to seeing more and more results from the findings released in the future. It's a fascinating story which needs telling and explaining. I'm only sad that I never got to do one of the tours, but well done to all the archaeologists, professional and amateur who've advanced our knowledge of this neolithic period.
Beautiful film; well done all involved in the Ness of Brodgar. I was fortunate enough to visit in 2021 and chat to a few of the archaeologists. All the best for the post-excavation phase and writing up those papers and books!
We past this site before digging began, so if/when we return to lovely Orkney we will see the same view again. Following everything from home through this channel was very interesting, thank you so much!
Been to Orkney 3 times. Every time I realise there is still so much more to see. From Maes Howe and Gurness broch on the mainland, the Dwarfie Stane and Rackwick on Hoy, all the sites on Rousay and the northern Isles. Truly a remarkable place. Many thanks . Not back next year though - it's Harris and Lewis !
The team working on The Ness should be rightly be proud of what they have all achieved and contributed, particularly to the history and knowledge of the site. I applaud their efforts and dedication. Bravo!
an archeologist's gotta do what an archeologist has got to do. if it has to be covered to preserve it, so be it. I must say though, that's some fine looking stone those ancestors had to work with.
I’m heartbroken that it will be covered, but at least it will still be there for future generations and new technologies. I hope that some very clever cinematographer will create an incredible virtual walk through of Ness, for all to have something of the experience of seeing it. It would make a brilliant imax feature. Thanks to the army of workers who explored year after year.
I was wondering what the cost would be of creating a near perfect replica out of fibreglass or similar a mile or two away. The French have created a superb copy of the Lascaux caves so that the real thing is conserved and not damaged by millions of tourists.
@@jackryder-sw9rk The first cultures associated with the Celts came from central Europe and the Orkneys were part of Celtic speaking Britain. The Ork part is thought to be a Pictish tribal name cognate with Irish arc meaning a piglet but perhaps with the sense of young boars. The -ney part of Orkney is from the Norse word for island -ey. The 'n' is due to the Norse adapting the Ork part of the name to mean seal - orkn in old Norse. The northern Isles were heavily settled by the Scandinavians, they were part of the Kingdom of Norway for a long time and a dialect of Norse called Norn was spoken there. The locals still celebrate their viking roots.
I remember walking this road in 1983 and strangely my eyes were drawn to this field without knowing why. Now I know it was ancestors!! It’s been exciting watching the excavation. I’d have loved to have visited in person and still will one day to see the finds.
Visited the UK in 2014 for the World Science Fiction Convention in London. Prior to the con, my mum & I went all the way up to the isle of Westray to visit some relatives we'd only ever known by mail & email. One of the things we did was spend time & money hiring a cabbie to drive us all over to the fantastic historical sites. Never did get to the Ness of Brodgar, but we did visit the Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, and the Italian Chapel. As much as I'd want the site to remain open, I do like the idea of leaving it covered for future generations of archaeologists, because the kinds of archaeology we were doing just 100 years ago is miles & miles below the kind we're able to do now, thanks to our current technology. So imagine just how much more we'll be able to uncover in another century or two!
As a youngster we used to go and see the excavations of the neolithic site near Sollas on North Uist during the summer holidays, for various reasons mostly around the way records were kept by the person runnng the excavation, it's only recently that it was possible to read about the results of that 70's work. Archaeology and the way it is communicated has changed a lot since!
I've been three times to Orkney and every time I visited this site. The first time there were very few tourists. The last time there was a lot. It was after the Brexit vote and the archeologist who showed us the dig warned that they will have to stop if the EU funding will not be replaced by the British government. I am afraid this is one of the main reasons why the excavation was discontinued.
Visited the site in 2017, coming all the way from California. What a treat to behold! Wondering why it can’t be enclosed with some type of weather resistant plexiglass like other historical sites have done so people can continue to learn and enjoy it?
We think it's just the potential cost of such a project, especially when funding has been hard enough to come by over the last 20 years unfortunately. Great to hear you were able to visit though!
According to the project team, the cost would be really prohibitive, but also it's thought the entire peninsula is covered in archaeology, so there would be huge question marks over foundations, form, design, building style and maintenance etc.
You have dug for the knowledge. Covering to preserve for future. If it were a natural resource to be exploited. Would the cost still be considered prohibitive. Or endless new finacing as when looking for buried treasure island.
Is it possible to purchase that t-shirt online? It's pretty cool! I've always loved my visits to my ancestral home in the Orkneys and hopefully will be back again soon
It was...we think they might all be sold out and only available via the on-site shop 😞 Would be worth dropping the Ness team a note to see if there are any left, just head to the Ness of Brodgar website for contact details, or give them a shout via Instagram.
Plenty of other sites in the British Isles you'll still be able to see. It's amazing how much has been lost due to coastal erosion so above ground settlements like this are a rare window into the past.
While it is fully understandable. It's a shame that building a proper cover structure for this is something that is deemed "too costly" by society. I can think of a few things that are less important than general access to our collective history.
According to the project team, it's mostly due to cost, but also due to the fact that it's thought the entire peninsula is covered in archaeology, so there would be huge question marks over foundations, form, design, building style and maintenance etc.
I think it is a shame and ridiculous to cover it up..... the people that lived there didn't cover it up..... nature will do her job again.... let the people see it now! Thank you for sharing with us.
Maybe you missed the bit about the stones breaking up under the influence of weather? The people who built it didn't need to cover it up because it was constantly renewed by maintenance. Think of the Elizabeth (Big Ben) Tower. Only a couple of centuries old, built with 19th century technology and requiring ££millions to stop it falling apart.
😢🇳🇴 ❤that's My Viking heritage they're closing down! If that's the scots and uk 🇬🇧 governments plan? I'd say that orkneyjar 🇳🇴 should just go Norse-Orkadija, better off as neutral territory of Norway again.
Get it dug….less of this worldwide…leaving it for future generations rubbish. 50 years ago. Ye Disnae need money to have a passion for something? Bizarre?! Yer papa would be ashamed
I too am Australian, and i can only imagine the feelings you must be experiencing as this dig closes down. It must be like saying goodbye to a family member. So i congratulate you and the team for the monumental achievement you’ve accomplished on this great Monument! 👍🏼👍🏼
It doesn't have to be goodbye, it can be see you later 🙂❤
Orkney is hauntingly beautiful with so much history.
Aye, it scrubs up not too bad!
I visited the three other sites on Orkney from New Zealand in 2014. As my late father was in the Royal Navy from 1932 to 1945, I was also able to see what remains of the naval base at Scapa Flow, and also visit the cathedral at Kirkwall. All in all a very enjoyable day finished off at the Italian Chapel on the way to Berwick to take the boat to John’O Groats.
I have been following TH-cam posts of the Neolithic sites in Europe, most of which are mainly in the British Isles, and have read many books on the subject to get an overall idea of how people lived in earlier eras.
That sounds like a pretty good trip, glad you enjoyed it!
Glad that I was able to visit it last month, Orkney is a wonderful place ❤️
Great to hear you were able to visit!
I had no idea that it would get covered up, and soon, too! I'm quite shocked, I assumed it would be like Skara Brae, open forever ... Maybe I should book that holiday for next month, though it has been on my 'To Do' list for 20 years
We think a lot of folk expected that, but the type of stone is just so different and wouldn't survive like the material used at Skara Brae 😞 It closes on Friday 16th August so it will all be covered up next month unfortunately.
It’s almost unimaginable that Neolithic people, Stone Age people built such technically sophisticated structures. They hadn’t developed our technology but they were certainly as smart as we think we are today.
They must have been a hugely resourceful and talented people, incredible to think about!
Gosh, As a South African, what a privilege to have visited this site (and others) on my Orkney trip in 2019.
Glad you were able to come such a long way, and that you enjoyed your visit 🙂
Was there in 2015, stunned by the scale of the structures and the amount of effort going in. But it seems the amount of data collected has exceeded the ability of researchers to make sense of it all. It seems a good time to call pause on the data collection, and get down to a serious review of the meaning of it all. Once that's done, the parts that need re-excavation may be clearer, allowing more efficient archaeology.
And best of all, those parts will be there for visitors in future centuries.
Reckon this sums it up pretty perfectly 👍
Such an amazing place. I was lucky enough to see this site open.
Glad you were able to visit!
A wonderful project that will continue in another form. So pleased it will be preserved for future exploration, yet so sad I will not be able to visit when open. I still don’t understand why more is not taught, in schools, about Neolithic life. Maybe it will be in the future too. Thanks to every member over the 20 years of the project, for their hard work and dedication. ❤
It's definitely taught to young folk here, but then it's kind of hard not to!
Surely, there's some unspeakably wealthy benefactor out there who would pay to enclose and cover the site and have a visitor centre...
That's not really doable, the site guide explained to us, because the whole area contains much more archaeology than has so far been excavated, right down to and under the water on both sides. Building any kind of structure on the site would entail destroying structures and archaeology in situ.
It's such a shame it has to all be hidden away again but fully understandable. There's clearly been an immense amount of hard work gone into this over the years and I look forward to seeing more and more results from the findings released in the future. It's a fascinating story which needs telling and explaining. I'm only sad that I never got to do one of the tours, but well done to all the archaeologists, professional and amateur who've advanced our knowledge of this neolithic period.
Yes, let's hope there's plenty more to come from the research and analysis. What a place!
Beautiful film; well done all involved in the Ness of Brodgar. I was fortunate enough to visit in 2021 and chat to a few of the archaeologists. All the best for the post-excavation phase and writing up those papers and books!
Thank you, glad you liked it.
We past this site before digging began, so if/when we return to lovely Orkney we will see the same view again. Following everything from home through this channel was very interesting, thank you so much!
Thanks, glad we can help keep you up-to-date! It will be strange to see the field back to green again, but we'll get used to it once more.
Visiting the Ness dig in 2014 was one of the highlights of my life. I hope that in 20-30 years the work can continue.
So glad you were able to see it!
Been to Orkney 3 times. Every time I realise there is still so much more to see. From Maes Howe and Gurness broch on the mainland, the Dwarfie Stane and Rackwick on Hoy, all the sites on Rousay and the northern Isles. Truly a remarkable place. Many thanks . Not back next year though - it's Harris and Lewis !
Be sure to visit Callanish, I found the experience uniquely memorable.
Yes, there's always something else that crops up! Enjoy Harris and Lewis!
The team working on The Ness should be rightly be proud of what they have all achieved and contributed, particularly to the history and knowledge of the site. I applaud their efforts and dedication. Bravo!
Absolutely, Chris! It has been some shift, in sometimes fairly rough weather!
Such an amazing place.
Incredible, and a really special atmosphere too.
visited it in april last year. also from aus. fantastic trip
Was there just over a week ago visiting from aus, just managed to squeeze the trip in at the last minute,so happy we managed it!
I'm Australian but have Orcadian ancestors, so this is fascinating 😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
an archeologist's gotta do what an archeologist has got to do.
if it has to be covered to preserve it, so be it.
I must say though, that's some fine looking stone those ancestors had to work with.
Absolutely! Such talent with it too.
@@ORKNEYCOM indeed!
I’m heartbroken that it will be covered, but at least it will still be there for future generations and new technologies. I hope that some very clever cinematographer will create an incredible virtual walk through of Ness, for all to have something of the experience of seeing it. It would make a brilliant imax feature. Thanks to the army of workers who explored year after year.
I was wondering what the cost would be of creating a near perfect replica out of fibreglass or similar a mile or two away. The French have created a superb copy of the Lascaux caves so that the real thing is conserved and not damaged by millions of tourists.
The lands of my ancient ancestors as I am celtic, dane and norsk on my father's side
Orkney is in Scotland, Celts come from Eastern Europe and Dane/Norsk is Scandinavia, how is Orkney you ancestral home?
@@jackryder-sw9rk The first cultures associated with the Celts came from central Europe and the Orkneys were part of Celtic speaking Britain. The Ork part is thought to be a Pictish tribal name cognate with Irish arc meaning a piglet but perhaps with the sense of young boars. The -ney part of Orkney is from the Norse word for island -ey. The 'n' is due to the Norse adapting the Ork part of the name to mean seal - orkn in old Norse. The northern Isles were heavily settled by the Scandinavians, they were part of the Kingdom of Norway for a long time and a dialect of Norse called Norn was spoken there. The locals still celebrate their viking roots.
I remember walking this road in 1983 and strangely my eyes were drawn to this field without knowing why. Now I know it was ancestors!! It’s been exciting watching the excavation. I’d have loved to have visited in person and still will one day to see the finds.
Visited the UK in 2014 for the World Science Fiction Convention in London. Prior to the con, my mum & I went all the way up to the isle of Westray to visit some relatives we'd only ever known by mail & email. One of the things we did was spend time & money hiring a cabbie to drive us all over to the fantastic historical sites. Never did get to the Ness of Brodgar, but we did visit the Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, and the Italian Chapel. As much as I'd want the site to remain open, I do like the idea of leaving it covered for future generations of archaeologists, because the kinds of archaeology we were doing just 100 years ago is miles & miles below the kind we're able to do now, thanks to our current technology. So imagine just how much more we'll be able to uncover in another century or two!
As a youngster we used to go and see the excavations of the neolithic site near Sollas on North Uist during the summer holidays, for various reasons mostly around the way records were kept by the person runnng the excavation, it's only recently that it was possible to read about the results of that 70's work. Archaeology and the way it is communicated has changed a lot since!
It certainly has! Although it will probably still take a good while before some of the early results of the Ness research are available too.
Oww, for a moment I thought the sealevel had already risen enough to start drowing it. o_o
I've been three times to Orkney and every time I visited this site. The first time there were very few tourists. The last time there was a lot. It was after the Brexit vote and the archeologist who showed us the dig warned that they will have to stop if the EU funding will not be replaced by the British government. I am afraid this is one of the main reasons why the excavation was discontinued.
Funding has always been a challenge, way back since day one 20 years ago, so it has always been a factor 😞
@arctic_haze
Bore off! 🥱
It's not the first time they've said goodbye to it.
Hoped to visit Scotland next year: sad I won’t be able to see this 😢
That's a shame indeed, Linda. Still lots to see here though, and there are a couple of ongoing excavations too.
Visited the site in 2017, coming all the way from California. What a treat to behold! Wondering why it can’t be enclosed with some type of weather resistant plexiglass like other historical sites have done so people can continue to learn and enjoy it?
We think it's just the potential cost of such a project, especially when funding has been hard enough to come by over the last 20 years unfortunately. Great to hear you were able to visit though!
You could crowd fund? I would donate
Crowdfunding?…… Philanthropy?
Tragic outcome…, so far….. Best to you all.
I hope the burial includes a plaque dating and explaining the reburial. It would be polite to future scholars.
That's a good point, we're sure there will be some kind of marker.
It's a pity they can't get lottery funding to enclose it with walkways above. Similar to Gobekli Tepe.
According to the project team, the cost would be really prohibitive, but also it's thought the entire peninsula is covered in archaeology, so there would be huge question marks over foundations, form, design, building style and maintenance etc.
You have dug for the knowledge. Covering to preserve for future. If it were a natural resource to be exploited. Would the cost still be considered prohibitive. Or endless new finacing as when looking for buried treasure island.
Is it possible to purchase that t-shirt online? It's pretty cool! I've always loved my visits to my ancestral home in the Orkneys and hopefully will be back again soon
It was...we think they might all be sold out and only available via the on-site shop 😞 Would be worth dropping the Ness team a note to see if there are any left, just head to the Ness of Brodgar website for contact details, or give them a shout via Instagram.
@@ORKNEYCOM will do thanks :)
You might want to check this link out - www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/ness-tshirts-online/ 😁
I was planning to go with my son next year, I feel shocked
Plenty of other sites in the British Isles you'll still be able to see. It's amazing how much has been lost due to coastal erosion so above ground settlements like this are a rare window into the past.
@@damionkeeling3103 thanks for that, you’re right, and I’m planning to go to Scara Brave, which is fantastic! ❤️
👋🥺
While it is fully understandable. It's a shame that building a proper cover structure for this is something that is deemed "too costly" by society. I can think of a few things that are less important than general access to our collective history.
According to the project team, it's mostly due to cost, but also due to the fact that it's thought the entire peninsula is covered in archaeology, so there would be huge question marks over foundations, form, design, building style and maintenance etc.
I think it is a shame and ridiculous to cover it up..... the people that lived there didn't cover it up..... nature will do her job again.... let the people see it now! Thank you for sharing with us.
Maybe you missed the bit about the stones breaking up under the influence of weather? The people who built it didn't need to cover it up because it was constantly renewed by maintenance. Think of the Elizabeth (Big Ben) Tower. Only a couple of centuries old, built with 19th century technology and requiring ££millions to stop it falling apart.
I'll bet that the Stonehenge alter stone was shipped on a large raft from here.
😢🇳🇴 ❤that's My Viking heritage they're closing down! If that's the scots and uk 🇬🇧 governments plan? I'd say that orkneyjar 🇳🇴 should just go Norse-Orkadija, better off as neutral territory of Norway again.
Yea, that’ll happen 😂
Steady on Ragnar, the Vikings would never have known this place existed. The Vikings were closer to our time than when this settlement was active.
Get it dug….less of this worldwide…leaving it for future generations rubbish. 50 years ago. Ye Disnae need money to have a passion for something? Bizarre?! Yer papa would be ashamed
Bit gutted to know it's going to get the Catalhöyük treatment.
I would have loved to have seen it, but it's easier to get to continental Europe than to Orkney, from the North of England, so it didn't happen 😑