"Thanks to all for making us so welcome during our excavations. We all had a really good couple of weeks and the results were great. The pottery has been confirmed as Late Neolithic (possibly early Bronze Age), so 5000 years old! This fits in well with the interpretation of a late neolithic chambered tomb. There should be an article in this weeks Orcadian, plus more on the Orkneyjar website. As you may have already heard we identified the first evidence for the orkney vole in Hoy & Walls, but there is no modern population. Keith Dobney of Durham University who heads the Orkney Vole Project has taken some vole jaw bones for C14 dating and analysis. This may also help us date the tomb. I'll keep you informed of any developments on the project." Daniel Lee (Projects Archaeologist) ORCA Orkney College