Items from a hoard

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These objects were all found at Monquhitter in Aberdeenshire in a hoard containing 63 objects, mostly natural rocks or fossils, buried in a cairn. They were all probably valued as amulets, and buried sometime between 100 and 300 AD.

The bezel on the left is of glass. The top stone egg is of lithomarge, an exotic stone. The bracelet fragment on the right is made of glass inlaid with bands of yellow paste, and is unique in Scotland. The natural pebble on the bottom right is worn smooth.

The objects in the Monquhitter hoard were clearly carefully selected. Perhaps they were an offering to the spirits of the cairn, or perhaps merely buried there for safekeeping by someone who collected or dealt in charms.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-100-035-858-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.EQ 770
• Date: Between 100 and 300 AD
  
• Material: Bauxite; egg-shaped
  Glass, amber; with bands of inlaid yellow vitreous paste
  Glass, white, with concentric rings of dark and light blue, dark blue centre
  Stone, grey, speckled; with two pale grey bands forming a cross; worn smooth
  Bracelet / portion
  Fossil / sea urchin
  Object
  Pebble
  Ring, finger / bezel
  
• Dimensions: 0.60" x 0.70"
  0.75" x 0.60" x 0.20"
  1.10" D x 0.38" thick
  1.38" x 0.85" x 0.65"
  1.94" L
  
• What: Bracelet / portion
  Fossil / sea urchin
  Object
  Pebble
  Ring, finger / bezel
  
• Subject: Fossil
  
• Who:
• Where: Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Monquhitter, Cairnhill
  Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Monquhitter, Cairnhill
  Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Monquhitter, Cairnhill
  Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Monquhitter, Cairnhill
  Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Monquhitter, Cairnhill
  
• Event:
• Description: Segment of a bracelet of amber glass with bands of inlaid yellow vitreous paste, from Monquhitter
  Glass bezel from a finger ring, white with concentric rings of dark and light blue and a dark blue centre, from Monquhitter
  Egg-shaped object of bauxite from Monquhitter
  Fossil sea-urchin from Monquhitter
  Natural pebble worn smooth, of speckled grey stone with two pale grey bands forming a cross, from Monquhitter
  
• References:
  • Anderson, Joseph. Notices of cists discovered in a cairn at Cairnhill, Parish of Monquhitter, Aberdeenshire, and at Doune, Perthshire. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 36 (1901-2). 
• Translations:
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