Rare spearhead and sword among incredible Bronze Age discovery in Scottish BUILDING SITE
Remarkable finds in a pit close to the Late Bronze Age settlement in Carnoustie, Angus
The discovery of an "extremely rare" Bronze Age spearhead has been hailed as a find of "international significance" after it was unearthed at a building site.
The gold-decorated weapon was among a ground-breaking hoard of ancient artefacts discovered in a pit close to the Late Bronze Age settlement in Carnoustie, Angus.
A bronze sword was also found, alongside a leather and wooden sword sheath -- believed to be the best preserved Late Bronze Age scabbard in Britain.
The hoard of metalwork hints at the wealth of the local warrior society who lived in the area around 1000-800BC.
The dig, carried out on behalf of Angus Council, also uncovered the largest Neolithic hall ever found in Scotland -- dating back to 4000 BC.
Alan Hunter Blair, from the archaeology firm GUARD, said: "The earliest Celtic myths often highlight the reflectivity and brilliance of heroic weapons.
"Gold decoration was probably added to this bronze spearhead to exalt it both through the material's rarity and its visual impact.
"The hoard of artefacts, which are around three thousand years old, is the find of a lifetime.
When was the Bronze Age?
The Bronze Age in Britain is a historical period characterised by the use of bronze, proto-writing, and other early features of urban civilisation.
It was an era of British history that spanned from around 2500 until 800 BC and lasted approximately 1,700 years.
It was followed by the Iron Age.
During the British Bronze Age, large megalithic monuments similar to those from the Late Neolithic continued to be constructed or modified, including such sites as Avebury, Stonehenge, Silbury Hill and Must Farm.
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"It is very unusual to recover such artefacts in a modern archaeological excavation, which can reveal so much about the context of its burial."
Within Britain and Ireland, only a handful of such spearheads are known - among them a weapon hoard found in 1963 at Pyotdykes Farm to the west of Dundee.
Scientists also say the artefacts are "extremely rare" due to the survival of organic remains, such as the leather, wood, fur skin and textile around the spearhead and scabbard.
Archaeologist Beth Spence, who undertook the laboratory excavation of the hoard, added: "Organic evidence like Bronze Age wooden scabbards rarely survive, so this just underlines how extraordinary these finds are."
Angus Council communities convener Donald Morrison said: "It is clear that Carnoustie was as much a hive of activity in Neolithic times as it is now.
"The discoveries made on land destined for sporting development have given us a fascinating insight into our Angus forebears and I look forward to learning more about our local prehistory."
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