Poolewe: The last Bronze Age hoard in Scotland?

Abstract

• In 1877, a hoard of nine copper alloy objects was recovered from a peat bog at Poolewe, Scotland, including axeheads, rings and an ornament. For the first time since its discovery, this article publishes the hoard in its entirety, including an assessment of typological features, full illustration and metallurgical analysis. Components of the hoard are characteristic of the British Llyn Fawr/Earliest Iron Age period (800–600 BC) suggesting the date of deposition, which is confirmed by a radiocarbon date from the wooden haft of an axehead. However, set in the broader context of Scotland and Britain during this period, it is suggested that this hoard in fact represents the last vestiges of the Late Bronze Age hoarding practice in Scotland.