Editing Ring of Brodgar (section)

==Conservation and access==
The site is a [[scheduled monument]] and was included in the "[[Heart of Neolithic Orkney]]" [[World Heritage Site]] in 1999.

===World Heritage status===
The [[Heart of Neolithic Orkney]] includes, in addition to the Ring of Brodgar, [[Maeshowe]], [[Skara Brae]], the [[Standing Stones of Stenness]] and other nearby sites. It is managed by [[Historic Environment Scotland]], whose 'Statement of Significance' for the site begins:
<blockquote>
The monuments at the heart of Neolithic Orkney and Skara Brae proclaim the triumphs of the human spirit in early ages and isolated places. They were approximately contemporary with the mastabas of the archaic period of Egypt (first and second dynasties), the brick temples of Sumeria, and the first cities of the Harappa culture in India, and a century or two earlier than the Golden Age of China. Unusually fine for their early date, and with a remarkably rich survival of evidence, these sites stand as a visible symbol of the achievements of early peoples away from the traditional centres of civilisation...The Ring of Brodgar is the finest known truly circular late Neolithic or early Bronze Age stone ring and a later expression of the spirit which gave rise to Maeshowe, Stenness and Skara Brae<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070824203938/http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/policyandguidance/world_heritage_scotland/world_heritage_sites/world-heritage-neolithic-orkney.htm "The Heart of Neolithic Orkney"]. Historic Scotland. Retrieved on 6 April 2025</ref>
</blockquote>

===Access===
Access at the Ring of Brodgar, especially to the inner ring, poses conservation issues. Site management has included periods of partial site closure, required to allow areas of footpath to recover.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle and Henge: Prices and opening times |url=https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/ring-of-brodgar-stone-circle-and-henge/prices-and-opening-times/ |access-date=11 October 2024}}</ref>