Scotland's 5 top archaeological finds of 2024 - from a Celtic bangle to a Pictish spearbutt

A unique ‘Celtic’ bangle, a Pictish spearbutt and a rare shipwreck are among the most ground-breaking finds of 2024 as archaeological discoveries continue to enrich Scotland’s great history.

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland’s Dig It! unit has published its annual list of the great finds made in the past 12 months. It comes as archaeologists work below ground - and on shifting sands - to recover and save objects that span thousands of years of life across the length and breadth of the country.

A prehistoric site on a stretch of eroding coastline in Harris in the Outer Hebrides revealed the oldest discoveries, which could reflect human activity up to 6,000 years ago.

Stone tools made from chipped quartz were discovered below the turf at Nisabost and are similar to those found on Neolithic sites in the area, which date to both the Neolithic period from around 4,100BC and 2,500BC to the Early Bronze Age (2,200BC to around 1,600BC).

Traces of charcoal hint at fires once lit by the people who gathered here.

The promontory is also home to the 3.3m-tall Clach Mhic Leoid [Mcleod’s Standing Stone], which may have had practical or ceremonial uses, and would have existed at the same time as the people who started these fires and created these tools.

The finds were made by volunteers working with The SCAPE Trust, which charts changes to Scotland’s coastline over time.

READ MORE: Secrets of Scotland’s oldest tombs - and the people who built them 6,000 years ago by new arrivals - to be unlocked

Joanna Hambly, of the trust, said: “I love finds like this because they reveal the secrets that coastal erosion uncovers - a glimpse into a prehistoric world hidden in plain sight - and remind us that anyone can make these discoveries with a keen eye and curiosity."

Meanwhile, a rare fragment of a bangle decorated with hand-carved Celtic motifs was found at Balchork in Sutherland at the site of a Bronze Age roundhouse in a layer dated to 351BC to 55BC. The timeline indicated the area was re-used during the Iron Age.

The bangle was discovered by AOC Archaeology while working at the site of a housing development.

Dr Fraser Hunter, principal curator of Iron Age and Roman collections, has now identified the fragment and reconstructed the design, which includes crescent motifs, scroll designs and curved lines.

This curvilinear style developed on the continent after 450 BC and has traditionally been referred to as ‘Celtic’.

Dawn McLaren, of AOC Archaeology Group, said: “Not only is the find unique in Scotland and extremely rare in Britain, but the fact that it was crafted with exceptional care and a high level of skill and used frequently enough to leave scuff marks and polish gives us an insight into the people who created and carried it thousands of years ago.”

Meanwhile in Fife, the Pictish period was illuminated near Falkland when a rear spearbutt - thought to have been used in close combat - was unearthed at the site of the East Lomond hillfort in July.

The bronze artefact was discovered during the excavations organised by the Falkland Stewardship Trust and the University of Aberdeen. which have uncovered remains which date to around 200 to 700 AD.

Experts identified the artefact as a spearbutt partly from depictions on Pictish carved stones, including the one at Collessie just a few miles from the site.

Professor Gordon Noble, of the University of Aberdeen, said: “The find helps illuminate aspects of the warrior culture of the late Roman Iron Age in lowland Scotland, and to find an actual example of the spearbutts shown on the warrior carvings is very exciting.

“Only a handful of these objects have been found in Scotland and the rest of Britain and Ireland.”

In Orkney in February, the remains of a rare shipwreck were discovered when winter storms exposed timbers, which had been preserved in the sand for centuries.

Residents alerted the archaeologist for Orkney Islands Council, which made the first record of the shipwreck with Wessex Archaeology Dendrochronicle underrtaking a rapid assessment. This assessment included tree ring dating, of the wreck material, commissioned by Historic Environment Scotland.

Construction techniques suggest a 17th-century date, with a possible origin in England or the Netherlands. If this date is correct, it would be one of only nine identified wrecks of this time period from Scottish waters.

In a race against time, the wreck was transferred to a large water tank funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund alongside Sanday’s Heritage Centre to stabilise and desalinate the timbers, where they will remain while further analysis, dating and research takes place.

Finally, the glory days of the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival were revisited when a small plant tag fragment for a Red Campion was found during an excavation of the site, which heaved with more than four million visitors during the event.

Dr Kenny Brophy, senior lecturer in archaeology at Glasgow University, said: “Contemporary archaeology is at the forefront of efforts from archaeologists to become more socially engaged and relevant. But it can also be used to excite, enthuse and inspire, as has been happening in Glasgow where there’s a huge amount of nostalgia for the festival.”

Dr Simon Gilmour, director of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said:“Our Dig It! project has once again collated a remarkable list of discoveries made across Scotland thanks to the collaborative efforts of archaeologists, curators, students, volunteers and members of the public. I look forward to learning more from those involved, including Dr Brophy and Professor Noble, who’ll be be delivering the society’s free public lectures online and in Edinburgh in January and March.”

Dr Susan O'Connor, head of grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “Archaeology is a fantastic way that we can learn more about the history of the people and places of Scotland, whilst connecting with our past in a tactile way.”