A rare Bronze Age hoard found in Angus, including weapons thought to have been wielded by “a warrior elite” over 3,000 years ago, has been saved for the nation.
The hoard was discovered in Carnoustie in 2016 in an area that was due to be developed into two football pitches.
The extraordinary discovery included a rare spearhead decorated with gold and a bronze sword in a wooden scabbard, each dating from around 1120-920 BC.
The hoard has now been acquired by National Museums Scotland (NMS) and will go on display for the first time in a new exhibition titled Scotland’s First Warriors, set to open in June next year at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
The exhibition of artefacts will explore the origins and impact of conflict and warfare in prehistoric Scotland from the Stone Age to arrival of the Romans.
NMS said the full assemblage unearthed by GUARD Archaeology at the Carnoustie site represented “a nationally significant group of objects spanning nearly 3000 years”.
The spearhead has an intricately decorated gold-bound socket, one of only two such examples known from Scotland. Its blade was wrapped in sheepskin and the socket enclosed in a fine woollen cloth.
It was discovered alongside a bronze sword with an unusual lead-tin pommel, still sheathed in the remains of a wooden scabbard, which was carefully wrapped in a woven wool garment, fastened with a disc-headed pin.
The hoard had been “deliberately and thoughtfully placed” near a Bronze Age round structure, making it the only Bronze Age weapon hoard from Scotland found within a clearly defined settlement.
NMS said the defined location had offered “a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between these treasured objects and the lives of the people who crafted and used them”, while the prehistoric textiles and organic material revealed “an extra layer of the care and attention that went into the formation of the hoard”.
Experts say the weapons hinted at the existence of a “localised warrior elite” in the Angus area.
Dr Matthew Knight, Senior Curator of Prehistory at NMS, said: “The Carnoustie Hoard is a remarkable discovery.
“This is the first time we’ve encountered weapons buried at a settlement where people lived.
“It forces us to reconsider relationships between people and these objects and enriches our picture of life in Bronze Age Scotland.
“On top of that we have the exceptional survival of wood, textiles and animal skin that express how much these objects were valued.
“After hours of painstaking conservation, I can’t wait for visitors to see the hoard for the first time in our new exhibition Scotland’s First Warriors.”
Scotland’s First Warriors, which will run for almost a year from 27 June 2026 to 17 May 2027 will include never-before-seen “internationally significant archaeological discoveries” from across Scotland.
Alongside the Carnoustie Hoard, the exhibition will present the origins of organised conflict from the Neolithic — late Stone Age — to the coming of the Romans.
It will explore how people fought, the motivations for fighting, the brutal impact of war on people’s lives and the long-lasting legacy of prehistoric conflict.
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