Staff at a museum in Scotland have described the “magical” moment their conservation work uncovered a silver colour on the surface of a Bronze Age treasure hoard.
The 500 “unusual” bronze and organic objects were uncovered by a metal detectorist in 2020, named the Peebles Hoard due to its discovery in the Scottish Borders town.
Dating to 1,000BC-800BC, the hoard includes two “rattle pendants”, a sword inside a wooden scabbard, and bronze buttons looped on to cords.
Having lain undisturbed for 3,000 years, conservation work has revealed rare, silver-coloured objects from an era when silver was unknown, with analysis showing the colour is the result of high levels of tin on the surface.
This is thought to have been the product of a “deliberate enrichment technique” by highly-skilled craftspeople.
The hoard was acquired by National Museums Scotland (NMS) last year and has been described as being “without archaeological parallel anywhere in the world”.
Having been discovered, it was extracted from the ground in a single block and excavated in laboratory conditions at the NMS Collection Centre in Edinburgh.
While the function of many of the objects is still unknown, it is thought that some may have adorned a horse or a wooden vehicle.
It is likely that the silver-appearing tin objects would likely have indicated high status and wealth.
Peebles Hoard conservator Bethan Bryan said the moment the silver colour emerged from the dirt was like the revelation of a 3,000-year-old secret.
“Working on the conservation of the Peebles Hoard is a rare privilege and definitely a career highpoint,” she said.
“As well as removing dirt and corrosion, it is essential that we preserve as much precious organic material as possible for future research.
“Getting to this point has been a challenging and incredibly time-intensive process, but the moment the silvery surface began to emerge was magical, a secret revealed after 3,000 years.”
It is estimated that the conservation project will take three years to complete.
Dr Matthew Knight, senior curator of prehistory at NMS, said the objects’ silver colour was unlike anything he had seen before.
“The Peebles Hoard is truly a one-of-a-kind discovery, and I have never seen anything like the stunning, silver-coloured finish of these Bronze Age objects,” he said.
“They almost glow. Thanks to the generous support of our donors we are making significant progress.
“However, there is more to be done to prevent further deterioration of these fragile objects and continue our research to uncover more of the Hoard’s secrets.”
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