Rare 5,000-year-old pottery found at Ness of Brodgar

Archaeologists working at the celebrated Neolithic site of Ness of Brodgar in Orkney have discovered pottery fragments dating back around 5,000 years.

The sherds include grooved-ware ceramics, a style associated with ritual and domestic use in the late Neolithic period.

The find adds new detail to what is known of craft and everyday life in prehistoric Scotland. Project leads say the ceramics reinforce the Ness of Brodgar’s role as a cultural centre of the time and open fresh lines of investigation into its ancient community.