Bronze Age spearhead found on land to be made into football pitches
A Bronze Age spearhead found on land due to be turned into football pitches contained high purity gold and was likely buried for safekeeping, research has found.
The spearhead, which was concealed around 3,000 years ago, was discovered in Carnoustie, Angus, in 2016 as archaeologists assessed the ground due for the sports development.
As work got underway, archaeologists discovered the remains of a Bronze Age settlement and a haul of items, including a spearhead deco-
rated with gold foil around the socket.
The weapons is one of only five such gold-bound spearheads to have been found in Britain and Ireland. One of these was found just 12 miles away in a field at Pyotdykes 55 years ago with the two objects together offering new insight into Bronze Age life in Scotland.
Dr Alison Sheridan, Research Curator at National Museums Scotland, said: “These would have been valuable personal possessions, used to signal status as much as to be used as thrusting weapons. The Carnoustie example has nicks in its blade, and slight wear to the gold, that suggest it had seen some use.”
A band of gold foil was used to embellish the socket on both spearheads with a herringbone pattern used to decorate the Carnoustie weapon.