The UHI Archaeology Institute’s research excavations at The Cairns have now come to an end for this year. With the site safely covered up, it’s time for site director Martin Carruthers to sum up…
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As the site is covered over for another year, finds supervisor Kev looks back on the 2025 season.
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The Cairns dig diary - day 28: The last day of excavation before the site is covered up for the penultimate time.
#archaeology #IronAge #excavation #TheCairns #Orkney #ThinkUHI #UHIResearch
The Cairns dig diary - day 27: A gallery of aerial shots showing excavation site today.
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The Cairns dig diary - day 26: The final week of excavation began with great progress across the site.
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The Cairns dig diary - day 25: A busy day on site for the open day, but some important findings and milestones reached too…
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The Cairns dig diary - day 24: Another day of finds - including a ring bead, spindle whorl and a 'secret chamber'.
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The Cairns dig diary - day 23.
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The Cairns dig diary - day 22: Work continues apace inside and outside the broch and the adjacent souterrain.
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The Cairns dig diary - day 21: The penultimate week of excavation got under way at The Cairns today.
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The Cairns dig diary - day 20: Torrential rain saw excavation cancelled today, so here's some more images from day 19.
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The weather caused problems again but not before some nice finds and a surprising discovery from the "cells".
#archaeology #IronAge #excavation #TheCairns #Orkney #ThinkUHI #UHIResearch
The Cairns dig diary - day 17.
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The Cairns dig diary - day 16: Last time Martin updated us with progress inside the broch. Today we take a look at what lies outside...
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A change for your diaries - the open day at The Cairns excavation in South Ronaldsay has been moved back a week to Friday, July 11, 2025.
#archaeology #IronAge #excavation #TheCairns #Orkney #ThinkUHI #UHIResearch
The Cairns dig diary - day 15: Site director Martin Carruthers reflects on the first three weeks of the 2025 and looks ahead to the remainder of the season.
#archaeology #IronAge #excavation #TheCairns #Orkney #ThinkUHI #UHIResearch
The Cairns dig diary - Day 14: A highlight of today was a very long-awaited event. - the lifting of the saddle quern and rubber set into the floor of the broch.
#archaeology #IronAge #excavation #TheCairns #Orkney #ThinkUHI #UHIResearch
The Cairns dig diary - day 13: Today's update on The Cairns excavation from BA (Hons) student Grace Honeyman.
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The Cairns dig diary - day 12: Back on site after yesterday's call-off, work continued inside and outside the broch.
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Atrocious weather saw work on site cancelled today and a retreat back to the UHI Archaeology Institute in Kirkwall.
#archaeology #IronAge #excavation #TheCairns #Orkney #ThinkUHI #UHIResearch
The Cairns dig diary - day ten. Fantastic progress on site and more remarkable finds.
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As work continues across the site, it has been another day of multiple finds, including a beautiful piece of worked antler.
#archaeology #IronAge #excavation #TheCairns #Orkney #ThinkUHI #UHIResearch
The Cairns dig diary - Day Eight - Another day of lovely finds, including a stone bead, our first scallop shell and more potential rotary quern fragments.
#archaeology #IronAge #excavation #TheCairns #Orkney #ThinkUHI #UHIResearch
The Cairns dig diary - day seven: A day of progress and finds across the site.
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The Cairns dig diary - day six: A busy start to week two, with a large group of diggers arriving on site.
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The Cairns Dig Dairy - Day 4: A day of steady progress across the site and a spectacular find to end the day.
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The Cairns Dig Diary - Day Three: the finds begin emerging.
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The Cairns Dig Diary - Day 1: Back on site for the penultimate season of excavation. Site director Martin outlines plans for 2025.
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Our excavation season gets under way on Monday, June 9, when a team of diggers return to The Cairns Iron Age site in South Ronaldsay, #Orkney.
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Packing up at the end of a days digging #absolutecairnage #thecairnsbroch #thecairns @ South Ronaldsay www.instagram.com/p/Bk7lAOXlHA7/
