Rare Iron Age treasures to go on show for first time

Rare treasures found with a young Iron Age man buried in Alloa about 2,000 years ago are to go on show for the first time in a new exhibition.

The remains of the man, who was aged between 17 and 25, were discovered in a stone-lined cist at Marshill.

He was buried with an iron sword in a leather scabbard placed across his chest, and a spear laid alongside him.

The objects will go on show in the exhibition Scotland's First Warriors, which opens on Saturday at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The man, who was buried in about 10-70 AD, was adorned with ornaments including a bronze cloak pin, a glass bead pendant and bronze and iron rings from a belt around his waist.

Two bronze toe rings suggest he wore sandals, which was a sign of high status.

Experts say burying someone with weapons may have reflected their role in life as a warrior, or how their community wanted them to be seen in the afterlife.

Replicas of the spearhead and sword have been created for the exhibition by Ratho Byres Forge and Alan Braby.

They will be displayed alongside the originals to illustrate how they would once have looked.

Few Iron Age burials have been discovered in Scotland and those including weapons are said to be very rare.

Matthew Knight, senior curator of prehistory at National Museums Scotland, said the items gave a "vivid insight into the mindset of almost 2,000 years ago".

He said: "Burying people with weapons may reflect the person's role in life as a warrior, or how their community wanted them to be seen in the afterlife.

"These treasured objects tell us this young man was a powerful member of his community.

"Following extensive research and conservation, I am thrilled that visitors will have the opportunity to see these objects for the first time in Scotland's First Warriors."

The items were discovered by archaeologist Susan Mills in 2003 as part of a routine excavation of two cists.

The free exhibition, which runs until 16 May next year, will look at the origins of organised conflict.

It will explore how people fought, their motivations, the impact of war on people's lives, and the long-lasting legacy of prehistoric conflict.

Among the other items will be a Bronze Age sword discovered in the north-west Highlands.

The 3,000-year-old, leaf-shaped sword was found in a crack in a rock by a gamekeeper near Inverbroom, south of Ullapool, in 1896.

Knight said: "The remarkable sword from Inverbroom gives us a vivid window into the lives of warriors and communities living in Scotland thousands of years ago."

The sword has been given on loan by Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums.

Among the other items will be a Bronze Age sword discovered in the north-west Highlands.

The 3,000-year-old, leaf-shaped sword was found in a crack in a rock by a gamekeeper near Inverbroom, south of Ullapool, in 1896.

Knight said: "The remarkable sword from Inverbroom gives us a vivid window into the lives of warriors and communities living in Scotland thousands of years ago."

The sword has been given on loan by Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums.

Julie Wood, Aberdeen City Council's chief officer for city development and regeneration said: "We're delighted that this remarkable Bronze Age sword from Inverbroom will be seen by visitors as part of Scotland's First Warriors."