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Marshill Iron Age Burial Goes on Public Display

Conserved weapons and ornaments from the grave offer fresh evidence about status, dress and conflict in early first-century Scotland.

Overview

  • The grave was uncovered in 2003 by archaeologist Susan Mills at Marshill in Alloa and contains the remains of a young man dated to roughly 10–70 AD.
  • He was buried with an iron sword still in its leather scabbard placed across his chest, a spear, a bronze cloak pin, a glass bead pendant, bronze and iron belt rings, and two bronze toe rings.
  • Specialists at the National Museums Collection Centre completed research and conservation on the assemblage and the objects are on loan from the Treasure Trove Unit for display.
  • The National Museum of Scotland opens the free 'Scotland’s First Warriors' exhibition on Saturday, June 27, with the Marshill material as a centrepiece and the show running until 16 May next year.
  • Curators say the find is exceptionally rare for Scotland and that the weapons and sandals-like toe rings point to elite or warrior identity, a framing that could reshape study of rank and organised conflict in the Iron Age.