Urn

This ceramic urn was found in a cemetery at Brackmont Mill near Leuchars in Fife. It was used to hold cremated remains sometime between 2000 and 1500 BC.

The urn has a pronounced collar which is decorated with two bands of ornament. The upper has triangles filled with hatching, the lower has parallel lines or hatching between two irregular horizontal lines. The neck below also has incised hatching.

By around 1750 BC, in mainland Scotland, cremation had become the favoured funerary custom. Cremated remains were usually placed in an urn, buried upside down in a cist or pit. As before, individuals were buried in cemeteries, either flat or mounded.

Record details

To search on related items, click any linked text below.