Search Constraints
Search Results
-
Book
Scottish Furniture: 1500 - 1914
Scotland's furniture evolved against a background of social and cultural change that included religious reformation, civil war, union with England and participation in rapidly expanding commercial empire. The contribution of the country's finest workshops has been overlooked in general histories of British furniture and sever decades of scholarly research is... -
Lecture
Scottish Furniture, 1500-1914
n March 2024, National Museums Scotland will publish Scottish Furniture, 1500-1914, the first comprehensive narrative account of furniture-making in Scotland. The author of this new book, Stephen Jackson, has been Senior Curator, Furniture and Woodwork at NMS for over twenty years. In this lecture he will speak about a range...Jackson, Stephen
furniture, Francis Brodie, woodwork, Scotland, arts movements, William Trotter, workshops, and Scottish Furniture
-
Lecture
Burning down the house: exploring the phenomenon of Early Neolithic ‘halls’ and their destruction
Honours the achievements of Professor Ian Ralston, Emeritus Abercromby Professor of Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.Sheridan, J A
halls, Scotland, Early Neolithic buildings, destruction, and Britain and Ireland
-
Book chapter
"To no one Nation has been given the Monopoly of Genius" : Multiple Nationalisms at the National Museum of Scotland, a Director’s View
In 1857, George Wilson, Regius Professor of Science and Technology at the University of Edinburgh,laid out a vision for a new museum under his directorship, the Industrial Museum (today the National Museum) of Scotland.Though formed in the context of Britain’s imperial ambitions, the institution Wilson envisaged also seemed to speak...Breward, Christopher
Scotland, culture, philosophy, George Wilson, colonialism , museum vision, imperialism, and national museums
-
Lecture
Getting away from it all – Marie de Guise’s Town House, Blyth’s Close, Edinburgh
As Principal Curator for Renaissance and Early Modern History, Anna played a major part in acquiring for the museum the four decorative oak roundels which once adorned the rooms of Marie de Guise’s residence in Blyth’s Close, Edinburgh. The roundels reveal much about the power and influence of Marie in...Groundwater, Anna
oak roundels, architecture, Renaissance , material culture, mansion, Marie de Guise, Scotland, Blyth’s Close, Edinburgh, and sculpture
-
Journal article
From Field to Museum: The Treasure Trove process and the Peebles Hoard
Have you ever wondered how archaeological finds end up in Scottish Museums? The Treasure Trove Unit (TTU) is the front-facing team dealing with archaeological finds in Scotland. -
Journal article
Making places: Scotland's jewellery craft in the age of industry
Sarah Laurenson shares examples of beautiful jewellery created during the 'age of industry' and invites us to imagine the lives of the craftspeople behinf these exquisite pieces, using their skills and ingenuity in the age of growing mechanisation and standardisationLaurenson, Sarah
geology, Scotland, crafts, jewellery , natural environment , mineralogy, precious metals , material culture , lapidaries, and contemporary collecting
-
Lecture
Geology to jewellery: sourcing and crafting Scottish metals and gems in the nineteenth century
From the late eighteenth century, jewellers in Scotland used precious metals and colourful stone to craft little luxuries that were bought, gifted and worn by men, women and children. This paper explores how jewellers and lapidaries responded and contributed to developing knowledge about geology and mineralogy through the things they...Laurenson, Sarah
jewellery, geology, jewellers, mineralogy, precious stones, lapidaries, and Scotland
-
Book chapter
'Later prehistoric finds' In: Ewart, Gordon and Gallagher, Dennis, With thy towers high: The archaeology of Stirling Castle and Palace
Two characteristically pre-medieval small finds were found in the same post-medieval deposit, a dark-brown silty clay deposit at the noprth end of the Ladies' Lookout (VVI/F21176).Hunter, Fraser
Scotland, prehistoric pottery, post-medieval small finds, Stirling Castle, shale bangle, and excavations
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
Geology to Jewellery: sourcing and crafting Scottish metals and gems in the nineteenth century
From the late eighteenth century, jewellers in Scotland used precious metals and colourful stone to craft little luxuries that were bought, gifted and worn by men, women and children. This talk will explore how jewellers and lapidaries responded and contributed to developing knowledge about geology and mineralogy through the things...Laurenson, Sarah
material culture, geology , lapidaries, 18th century , agates, Cairngorm mountains, mineralogy, Scotland, jewellery, and quartz
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
Sealing practices in medieval Scotland
Blackwell, Alice
Seals, medieval , sealing practices, Scotland, and recent research
-
Book
Preliminary investigation into the threat of Bronze Birch Borer (BBB - Agrilus anxius) to Scotland
This report details findings and recommendations from a year-long project investigating the threat that bronze birch borer (BBB, Agrilus anxius) poses to Scotland. The project concentrated on three areas: the current and potential distribution of Agrilus species in Scotland, potential BBB entry pathways, and BBB surveillance methods.Dainton, Katrina ; Pollard, Chris ; Trotter, Felix ; Paterson, Alaina ; Dunn, Michael …
bronze birch borer, Agrilus species , invasive species, and Scotland
-
Journal article
Stable isotope ecology and interspecific dietary overlap among dolphins in the Northeast Atlantic
Dolphins are mobile apex marine predators. Over the past three decades, warm-water adapted dolphin species (short-beaked common and striped) have expanded their ranges northward and become increasingly abundant in British waters. Meanwhile, cold-water adapted dolphins (white-beaked and Atlantic white-sided) abundance trends are decreasing, with evidence of the distribution of white-beaked...Plint, Tessa ; ten Doeschate, Mariel T I ; Brownlow, Andrew C ; Davison, Nicholas J ; Hantke, Georg …
stable isotope, Northeast Atlantic, Scotland, dolphin, dietary overlap, and niche
-
Interactive resource
Early Medieval
This early medieval chapter deals with the period around AD 350–1058 and will follow a new structure which aligns with those used for the medieval and post-medieval chapters. In the past the period was often viewed as ‘the Dark Ages’ at the end of ‘prehistory’. The emphasis was on the...Strachan, David ; Maldonado, Adrián ; Hall, Mark ; Mitchell , Juliette
Research Framework, early medieval , archaeological period, and Scotland
-
Book
The material landscapes of Scotland’s jewellery craft, 1780-1914
During the long 19th century, Scotland was home to an established body of skilled jewellers who were able to access a range of materials from the country's varied natural landscape: precious gold and silver; sparkling crystals and colourful stones; freshwater pearls, shells and parts of rare animals. Following these materials...Laurenson, Sarah
contemporary collecting, crafts, precious metals, Scotland, jewellery, natural environment, and material culture
-
Lecture
Metal Detecting and Treasure Trove in Scotland
Did you know that in Scotland, archaeological artefacts found by members of the public are considered 'Treasure Trove' and can be claimed to enable them to end up in museums. But what is Treasure Trove, and how do you make sure you're following the rules and metal detecting responsibly, in...Flynn, Sophie
Scotland, metal detecting, portable antiquities, recording and processing finds, and Treasure Trove Unit
-
Book chapter
The Matter of Slavery at National Museums Scotland
In the ‘Industry and Empire’ gallery of the National Museum of Scotland (NMS) in Edinburgh sits a gleaming cup of white porcelain, resting on its saucer. Text rendered in black lettering around the body of the cup reads: ‘and so it was that those long sea/journeys became yonder awa awa’....Laurenson, Sarah
Colonial Histories and Legacies, Slavery, Scotland, and Industry and Empire
-
Journal article
Collecting stories
Dr John Giblin introduces a brand new gallery at National Museum of Scotland, which delves into how the items collected by the museum have come together over the past two centuries.Giblin, John
Arctic life, The Tytler collection, Lady John Scott, Imperial war art, museum, scientific instruments, Collecting stories, Treasure Trove, and Scotland
-
Magazine article
The Seafield Collection: A unique collection of arms and armour in Scotland
Within the imposing setting of Fort George in the Scottish Highlands, an impressive collection of weaponry and equipment is displayed in the eighteenth century Grand Magazine (figure 1). All the objects on display relate to the short-lived service of units raised in the 1790s by the landowner, politician, and hereditary...Robertson, Calum
Clan Grant, Castle Grant, arms and armour, Scotland, digitisation, and Seafield Collection
-
Book chapter
The Viking-Age Silver and Gold of Scotland
The Viking Age in Scotland reviews two decades of research that have taken place since the last archaeological survey of the Vikings in Scotland, published in 1998. Advances in scientific analysis have greatly improved our understanding of Scandinavian daily life between the late eighth and fifteenth centuries, and new discoveries...Goldberg, Martin
Archaeology, Scotland, Migration , Economy , Viking, Burial, Settlement, and Norse
-
Lecture
Inspiring People: Addressing the challenges of our Age – the work of National Museums Scotland
Chris Breward is the Director of National Museums Scotland. He was trained at the Courtauld Institute and the Royal College of Art, London and has previously worked as Director of Collection and Research at the National Galleries of Scotland, Head of Research at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and...Breward, Christopher
Challenges, Leadership, Museology, Inspiring, Museum, Scottish museum collections, Identity, and Scotland
-
Journal article
Collecting COVID-19 at National Museums Scotland
This opinion piece discusses National Museums Scotland’s first responses to collecting COVID-19. Drawing on perspectives from social history, biomedical science and military history, this short paper contextualizes COVID-related collecting within the contexts of the organization’s programme of contemporary collecting and the nation’s ongoing socio-political journey.Laurenson, Sarah ; Robertson, Calum ; Goggins, Sophie
Scotland, Contemporary collecting, social history, military history, and medical history
-
Journal article
Matriarchal Journeys: Identity and Generational Exchange in the Travels of Lady Grisell Baillie and Margaret Calderwood of Polton, <i>c.</i> 1730–1757
In 1731 Lady Grisell Baillie began a tour through Europe to Naples with her husband, two daughters, son-in-law and eldest granddaughter. Prompted by an order abroad for her son-in-law’s health, the journey to and from Naples took in cultural sites and offered unique opportunities for shopping. In 1756 Margaret Calderwood...Taylor, Emily
Scotland, women, dress, learning, shopping, and 18th century
-
Journal article
Holidaying behind the Iron Curtain: The material culture of tourism in Cold War Eastern Europe
During the Twentieth Century, foreign travel underwent a process of democratisation. Increasingly, through the development of package holidays to ever more far-flung destinations, leisure tourism for the first time allowed ordinary people to experience different cultures first hand. With the increased availability and affordability of foreign travel, actively promoted by...Wilkins, Carys
Cold War, Scotland, Eastern Europe, Friendship Society, and Souvenir
-
Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 1999.
Excavations continued in 1999 on an Iron Age settlement at Birnie, Moray, where metal-detecting had recovered a disturbed Roman coin hoard. Earlier work had shown the settlement was in part contemporary with the coins, and it may have been the residence of a powerful local chieftain who had contacts with...Hunter, Fraser
Scotland, Iron Age, Birnie, Antiquities, Bronze Age, Romans, and Middle Ages
-
Journal article
New species of mammaliaform and the cranium of Borealestes (Mammaliformes: Docodonta) from the Middle Jurassic of the British Isles
Docodonta are one of the earliest diverging groups of mammaliaforms, and their morphology provides key information on the transition between non-mammalian cynodonts and Mammalia. We describe the partial skulls of two docodontans Borealestes serendipitus and Borealestes cuillinensis sp. nov. from the Kilmaluag Formation (Middle Jurassic: Bathonian), Isle of Skye, Scotland....Panciroli, Elsa ; Benson, Roger B J ; Fernandez, Vincent ; Butler, Richard J ; Fraser, Nicholas C …
mammals, Scotland, Jurassic, Bathonian, Mesozoic, and Isle of Skye
-
Journal article
The Statue of a Sistrum-Player in Montrose and Her Position in an Early Ptolemaic Theban Priestly Family
This article is the publication of an indurated limestone standing statue, now in Montrose Museum (ANGUSalive M1980.4578), identified as a Sistrum-player. The statue was collected in 1834 by Dr James Burnes IV, a relative of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, during a journey from India to Scotland. Stylistic features of...Potter, Daniel M
Karnak, priesthood, Scotland, Thebes, prosopography, and Ptolemaic sculpture
-
Newspaper article
Climate change: The answers to our greener future might just lie in the past
Climate change information is everywhere: billionaires write books about it, and social media is aflame. A bewildering array of data and opinions assault us from all sides, but as a science curator, my favourite place to learn about our environment is in museums.Alberti, Samuel J M M
Edinburgh, Scotland, and Climate Change
-
Book chapter
Missing mammals from the Mesolithic middens: a comparison of the fossil and archaeological records from Scotland
Wild mammmals were an essential source of food and materials for Mesolithic people in Scotland. However, most Mesolithic sites in Scotland contain scant evidence of the mammals that were exploited locally. In contrast, the fossil and contemporary records indicate that there was a very high and changing diversity of mammal...Kitchener, Andrew C ; Bonsall, Clive ; Bartosiewicz, László
-
Book chapter
Flint extraction and processing from secondary flint deposits in the north-east of Scotland in the Neolithic period
Papers from the Flint Mining in Prehistoric Europe session held at European Association of Archaeologists 12th Annual Meeting Cracow, Poland, 19th-24th September 2006. Contents: 1) Flint extraction and processing from secondary flint deposits in the north-east of Scotland in the Neolithic period (Alan Saville); 2) Flint working at the early...Saville, Alan
-
Book chapter
The cinerary urns
This volume presents the results of fieldwork on the East Lothian coastal plain in south-east Scotland investigating the nature of later prehistoric settlement around the hillfort of Traprain Law. Following geomagnetic surveys at thirty sites, six enclosures were excavated, three extensively. All six had complex occupation histories, involving multiple acts...Sheridan, J A
-
-
Book chapter
Section 6.1 The finds: The pottery
The site of Warren Field in Scotland revealed two unusual and enigmatic features; an alignment of pits and a large, rectangular feature interpreted as a timber building. Excavations confirmed that the timber structure was an early Neolithic building and that the pits had been in use from the Mesolithic. This...Murray, H K ; Murray, J C ; Fraser, Shannon M ; Sheridan, J A
Neolithic period, Scotland, Mesolithic period, Excavations, and Prehistoric Dwellings
-
Book chapter
Preface to Late Roman silver: the Traprain treasure in context
The Traprain Law treasure from east Lothian in south-east Scotland is the most dramatic hoard of late Roman Hacksilber yet found. The interpretation of these bent, broken and crushed silver fragments has long been debated. Were they loot broken up by uncultured barbarians, or some form of diplomatic gift? This...Hunter, Fraser ; Painter, Kenneth
Silverwork, Silverware, Scotland, Romans, and Traprain Law
-
Book
The Thin Red Line: War Empire and Visions of Scotland
Over centuries, war and military service have shaped the way the world sees Scotland and the way the Scots see themselves. Using key objects from the collections of National Museums Scotland, particularly the National War Museum of Scotland to illustrate the book’s narrative, the authors uncover the historical forces behind...Allan, Stuart ; Carswell, Allan L
Military History, Scotland, Society, Scots , Warfare, and War
-
Book
Silver: made in Scotland
This exhibition catalogue celebrates the glittering tradition of silversmithing in Scotland over seven centuries. This lavishly illustrated book unearths the stories behind the makers, objects and owners of the most exemplary pieces of silver, past and present - from the ‘mazer’, or communal drinking cup, linked with Robert the Bruce...Dalgleish, George ; Fothringham, Henry Steuart
-
Book
Commando Country
Mountains and lochs, rugged terrain, challenging weather, seclusion: the Scottish highlands had everything that was needed to prepare soldiers for Commando warfare. From 1940-44 highland properties were selected and transformed into special training centres to teach guerrilla methods, assault landings and survival techniques. Commando Country looks across the origins and...Allan, Stuart
Scotland, Highlands, history, troops, Commando, and Special Forces
-
Book
Robert Burns and the Hellish Legion
Folk tales and beliefs are as important a part of cultural history as novels or organised religion. Robert Burns and the Hellish Legion explores some aspects of life in the world in which Burns lived and wrote, the supernatural beliefs which people held, and how they fitted into their everyday...Burnett, John
Folk literature, Scotland, Robert Burns , Folklore, superstition, and 18th Century
-
Book
Lewis Chessmen Unmasked
The humorous and intricately designed hoard of Lewis Chessmen is one of the most significant archaeological discoveries ever made in Scotland. The Lewis Chessmen were found hidden on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, in the early nineteenth century. It of seated consisted kings and queens, mitred bishops, knights on...Caldwell, David H ; Hall, Mark A ; Wilkinson, Caroline M
-
Book
Late Roman Silver: The Traprain Treasure in Context
The Traprain Law treasure from east Lothian in south-east Scotland is the most dramatic hoard of late Roman Hacksilber yet found. The interpretation of these bent, broken and crushed silver fragments has long been debated. Were they loot broken up by uncultured barbarians, or some form of diplomatic gift? This...Hunter, Fraser
Scotland, Romans, Silver, and Traprain Law
-
Journal article
The Catherinefield, Dumfries, Hoard, 2007-8
In 2007 a group of metal-detectorists working in a field at Catherinefield Farm, Dumfries, began to unearth a scatter of hammered silver coins. These had been spread across an area about 100 m � 50 m, but it rapidly became clear that they belonged to a hoard disturbed by ploughing....Holmes, N M McQ.
- « Previous
- Next »
- 1
- 2
- 3