New findings from post‑excavation studies conducted by GUARD Archaeology have shed light on why a precious Bronze Age hoard was buried on the Black Isle nearly three millennia ago.

The artefacts emerged during 2020–21 preliminary excavations at Greenside, Rosemarkie (commissioned by Pat Munro Homes as part of a housing development). In 2024, GUARD Archaeology led a post-excavation analysis, drawing expertise from the University of Glasgow, National Museums Scotland, and independent specialists.

Early Settlement and Ritual Practices

Although traces of Mesolithic and early Neolithic activity were found at Rosemarkie, permanent settlement only became evident around 3300–3000 BC, with a modest farmstead likely established. Between 3000 and 2000 BC, the site saw a break in occupation, interrupted by a cremation burial containing a brown bear phalange bone and an axehead fragment—possibly objects of symbolic protection for the deceased’s journey to the afterlife.

The Bronze Age heralded the resumption of habitation. Over more than six centuries, the site featured a succession of seven roundhouses; radiocarbon dating indicates they were not all occupied simultaneously but replaced one another over time. One dwelling yielded metalworking debris: mould fragments for making swords, spearheads, sickles, and bracelets.

The Hoard: Composition and Craftsmanship

Among the hoard’s components were: a complete penannular ringed ornament, comprising 37 rings — the most intact and elaborate of its kind yet found in Scotland; its fragmentary counterpart with 13 surviving rings, likely made by the same artisan; a cup‑ended ornament, cast in one piece with no visible joins; six distinct bracelets — no two alike, perhaps contributed by different households, while three show signs of repeated wear, and one is the heaviest known penannular bar bracelet ever discovered in Scotland.

Using x‑ray imaging and metallurgical analysis, researchers confirmed that the ornaments were cast via the rare “lost wax” method — a technique associated with prized and finely crafted objects. The bracelets’ variation suggests a deliberate collection from a broader community.

Origin, Context, and Enigmas

Isotope and metallurgical studies revealed that the bronze used in the hoard originated from Wales and England, matching alloys seen in the Carnoustie Hoard — pointing to long‑distance connections between Bronze Age communities in Scotland and those further south.

Remarkably, organic materials persisted too. Bracken stems and tree bast packed tightly around the items held them in place even after millennia underground. A knot in the bast bound the cup‑ended ornament to three bracelets; a radiocarbon sample from that material dates the burial to between 894 and 794 BC — the very end of the Bronze Age.

Archaeologists categorize buried hoards in three main types: a) founders’ hoards (recycling stock of damaged metal), b) votive deposits (deliberately destroyed objects deposited in water), and c) safekeeping hoards, like Rosemarkie’s — carefully packed, tied, and buried near settlements for later retrieval.

The mystery, then, lies not in why the hoard was buried — but why it was never recovered.