These beautiful gold ornaments are in the form of dragons’ heads. They are decorated with delicate filigree work and emeralds. They were found in Galloway as part of a Viking age hoard of gold, silver & crystal. It remains unclear who buried the hoard & why. 🏛️Melbourne Museum 📷mine #FindsFriday

#FrescoFriday Boy with fishes. The Fisherman #Fresco from Thera, Akrotiri #Greece. Dated to 1650BC it was discovered in Room 5 of the West House. On display at the Museum of #Prehistoric Thera. 📸 mine

#FindsFriday Nippled or breasted ewer from Ancient Thera, Akrotiri #Greece. Dated to c1700BC, it is bird like in form but could be a fertility symbol, as its shape has been likened to a pregnant female. Inspiration for the pottery on the roof terrace of our holiday let maybe! #Archaeology

#AdorableThursday St Epifanios Orthodox church, Akrotiti, Santorini

We had a wonderful day in Kilmartin on Saturday launching brand-new prehistoric rock art sections of the Future Thinking on Carved Stones framework, as well as five new case studies! You'll find more information and links to the new rock art chapters in our latest newsletter: bit.ly/4dFAkDH

Where has the last week gone? After a week inside sat at a screen doing #PhD chapter edits, my #holiday seems like it was a hundred years ago! #TimeFlies #PhDLife

Interesting blog on the excavations at the Kame of Isbister #IndianaJones style #Archaeology #Shetland #IronAge #Picts

A stunning aerial view of the magnificent multivallate Iron Age hillfort of Badbury Rings #Dorset 🤩 Now looked after @nationaltrust.org.uk © David R Abram Displayed in the 2022 *Ancient Sites from the Air* exhibition @salisburymuseum.bsky.social Happy #HillfortsWednesday!

Ancient Pictish Hillfort Tap O’Noth is one of the largest post-Roman settlements in Scotland. University of Aberdeen study revealed that the settlement had up to 4000 inhabitants living in over 800 huts. Radiocarbon dates suggest that the settlement started in the 5th-6th c. AD. #HillfortsWednesday

Last Saturday I was back in Kilmartin for the Rock Art Gathering event at Kilmartin Museum. For a few years now, Kilmartin is a yearly pilgrimage for me and every time I go back it feels like a warm hug. It is a place for smiles, laughter and friendships. 1/

In 2022, volunteers helping to excavate an ancient burial monument in the Borders uncovered cremated human remains from around 3,300 years ago ⚱️ Now in the care of @ntlmuseumsscot.bsky.social, the remains have much to tell us about Bronze Age life and death: www.digitscotland.com/what-happens...

Relief of a Roman period ‘horned god’ - possibly a fertility god native to the North East of England. Now part of the collections at Durham University's Museum of Archaeology. 📸 My own. #ReliefWednesday #RomanBritain #DurhamUniversity

Volume up! The sounds of #Spring in #Sutherland #Scotland today. #Birds

Amazing PhD opportunity working on the archaeology and landscape of Fair Isle. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

My new #UrbanPrehistory blog post reporting on the horrible fate of the Bogleys Stone of Fife - Barn Storm. This contains a trigger warning for anyone who thinks our heritage - and megaliths - matter. With thanks to Sam McKeand theurbanprehistorian.wordpress.com/2026/05/19/b...

A well illustrated review of the new 'Sea stories' exhibition at Stromness Museum, which includes some of our TRANSECTS project research on whaling. The minke-under-the-table finally has its story told!

I have my copy anf very good it is too!

Tritons are large shells which inhabit the shores of Crete. Their shells were used as containers. This sculpted vessel is a copy of a triton shell in marble and shows the skill of Minoan stone carvers. The holes in the lip are probably for a metal attachment. 1600-1450 BCE, limestone. #FindsFriday

Tomorrow we're running a 'walkshop' in Stromness as part of our TRANSECTS project (looking at marine energies: whale oil, petroleum oil, renewables). Meet at the cannon at 10am if you're interested. Should be good weather, finally!

Giving a talk this afternoon at the Quarries and Rock cut sites Conference in Edinburgh Uni. IRAAR26

##FindsFriday Boars head rhyta from Akrotiri Santorini. Used for oil or alcohol for ceremonial libations or drinking. Dated to c1700BC, it has a hole in the back of its head to fill it up, then the liquid is poured out through a hole in its mouth. #BronzeAge #Archaeology #Greece

Great review for UHI Institute for Northern Studies Dr Oisín Plumb and Professor Alexandra Sanmark’s exceptional work, 'Alternative Facts and Plausible Fictions in the Northern European Past - How Politics & Culture have Written and Rewritten History,' tinyurl.com/2vx4bys2

Join Dr Andrew Jennings, Associate Professor in Island Studies at the @thinkuhi.bsky.social Institute for Northern Studies, as he explores the exciting influence of islanders in Eurovision! open.substack.com/pub/resilien...

This might be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The Naval Fresco from Akrotiri dated to c1700BC from Room 5 of the West House #Santorini #Fresco #BronzeAge #Akrotiri #Archaeology #Deer #Dolphins

Anna was a council member of the Prehistoric Society and will be greatly missed. We send our condolences to Anna's family and friends. www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/knap-of-howa...

Saddened to hear news of the passing of Dr Anna Ritchie whose work has been so important to understanding Orcadian #Prehistory from her excavations at the Knap of Howar, Skara Brae, the Holm of Papay and the Stones of Stenness. Condolences to her friends and family. #Archaeology #Neolithic #Orkney

Ever wondered who decides which museum human remains go to after they're found in Scotland? Or whether archaeologists try and find relatives of the deceased? 🤔 We asked experts to answer these questions and more; find out what they said on the Dig It! website: www.digitscotland.com/why-do-museu...

The UHI Archaeology Institute and Glasgow School of Art, in collaboration with the National Trust for Scotland, are delighted to announce a new ARCS funded PhD opportunity investigating the heritage of Fair Isle.

Akrotiri made me cry. What an amazing place #Santorini #Greece #Archaeology #BronzeAge #Neolithic

It is really rather lovely here! #Greece #Santorini #Volcano #Holiday

MA Contemporary Art and Archaeology student Becky Little is one of the selected artists taking part in the Earth Matters exhibition at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's Inverleith House Gallery.

This looks to be a great #Conference unfortunately I will be in Santorini 😉 #Roman #IronAge #Scotland #ThinkUHI

This sorry mound is all that's left of the Long Stones Long Barrow, a Neolithic tomb near Avebury, Wiltshire #TombTuesday Probably similar to the famous West Kennet Long Barrow, but has been little protected It's now in the middle of an athletics track it seems 📸 Me #archaeology #photooftheday🏺

👀 Community Heritage Leadership Trainee opportunity with Archaeology Scotland (@archscot.bsky.social). Application Deadline: 12th May 2026. Full details available at: nextstepinitiative.org.uk/the-communit...

Throwback to 9 years ago and Archaeodarkness. This @digitscotland.bsky.social project lit up the Ring of Brodgar and #SkaraBrae #Orkney to celebrate #WorldHeritageDay. A bit late, I know but these only popped up on my Facebook feed today!! #Archaeology #Neolithic 📸 Mine and DigIt!

Moody skies over #Loch Brora this lunchtime #Scotland #Highlands #Sutherland #Yellow

#MayThe4th Happy Star Wars Day – May the Force be with you! ✨ Looking for a real-life galaxy far, far away? The Zweibrücken Observatory has you covered! 🔭 #StarWarsDay 📷 www.zeit.de/zett/2019-03...

Fantastic to see #Crannog progress #LochTay

The remains of Dun Carloway Broch on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. It was probably built in around 200 BC, and still stands at some 9 meters in height. 📸 My own. #Prehistory #Brochs #Archaeology #Lewis #DunCarloway

The ‘Cramond Lioness’ which was discovered at the mouth of the River Almond at Cramond in Edinburgh. The sculpture was possibly part of a memorial connected to Cramond Roman Fort. Now part of the collections at the National Museum of Scotland. 📸 My own. #RomanSiteSaturday

#FindsFriday The Sanday Runestone, discovered in 1995 by a local man rebuilding a wall The Norse runes are damaged but may be a memorial to someone called "Oskatl" They're very deeply inscribed, so would have taken a long time to carve 📍Sanday, Orkney, Scotland 📸 Me #archaeology #photooftheday🏺

I wil be your eyes. Said the Kraa. But do you want to see. What has become of the birds. Great Auk Memorial - Papay - Today. #Greatauk #Orkney #Papay #extinctionevent

#FindsFriday Felsite knife, 1 of 19 found at North Maven #Shetland. They are really thin, but incredibly strong and were possibly used for excarnation. The surfaces are highly polished and have use marks along the edges. Dated to the #Neolithic they seem unique to Shetland. #Archaeology 📸 mine

23 month Lectureship in Archaeology with UHI in Orkney. Lots of exciting things happening in Kirkwall at the moment with the AEONS facilities, MA in Contemporary Art and Archaeology, and loads of fun research projects. Come and join us! myjobscotland.gov.uk/councils/ork...

@socantscot.bsky.social Fellows! Just a friendly reminder that this Thursday (30th April) at 5pm BST, I’ll be giving an online lecture about my current work with @garstangmuseum.bsky.social. If you’re a Fellow and want to register, you can find the link in the email sent out today! 📜🏺

From father to son: ancient DNA indicates Neolithic chambered tombs in northern Scotland were physical embodiments of prehistoric kinship, tracing lineages over centuries. 🏺 #AntiquityThread 1/11 🧵

Join us for The Portable Antiquities Scheme & the European Finds Recording Network Joint Conference! Public finds have revolutionised archaeological knowledge. This conference will highlight this contribution by profiling the research of leading European academics. www.sal.org.uk/event/portab...

This is a really important overview of developer-led #Archaeology and the decision-making policies on what is preserved and where artefacts go. It also highlights the important work of @scarf-scot.bsky.social in developing the #Research archaeology strategy in #Scotland

It's not a bad place to live, I suppose... 😉 #Scotland #Sutherland #Spring #Yellow