Forteviot Bronze Age tomb
| Location | near Forteviot (Fothair Tabhaicht) |
|---|---|
| Region | Perth and Kinross (Peairt agus Ceann Rois), Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) |
| Coordinates | 56°20′25.42″N 3°31′49.04″W / 56.3403944°N 3.5302889°WCoordinates: 56°20′25.42″N 3°31′49.04″W / 56.3403944°N 3.5302889°W |
| Type | chamber tomb |
| History | |
| Periods | Bronze Age |
Forteviot Bronze Age tomb is a Bronze Age burial chamber discovered in 2009 at Forteviot near Perth, Scotland. The Bronze Age tomb is one of a number of archaeological digs at the site that Co-directors of the excavation, Dr. Gordon Noble of the University of Aberdeen, and professor Stephen Driscoll and Dr Kenneth Brophy, both of the University of Glasgow, are currently conducting.
The excavation at Forteviot is part of a long-term collaborative study by the Strathearn Environs and Royal Forteviot (SERF) project – funded by Historic Scotland and the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust – to study the archaeology of the former Pictish royal centre in the Strathearn region of what later became Central Scotland.
A high status four ton slab, forty centimetres thick and measuring two metres by two metres, was unearthed by archaeologists excavating at the site of a major Pictish Royal centre. Using a giant crane to remove the slab, known as a capstone, a burial chamber was revealed containing what little remained of a Bronze Age body and grave goods. The underside of the capstone had been engraved with a spiral and axe shape. The cist, built using large sandstone slabs in a rectangular shape, had several axes and other weapon engravings where the head of the deceased would have been positioned. Such carvings in that part of Scotland are very rare although there are similar carvings at Kilmartin Glen, in Argyll. Thought to be of high social standing, the body had been laid on a bed of white quartz pebbles and an interwoven lattice of birch bark. Amongst the grave goods were a dozen personal possessions which included a leather bag, wooden objects and a bronze dagger with a ribbed gold band around the hilt. The discovery of plant matter among the remains were later found to be flowers, possibly meadowsweet, and is the first evidence that Bronze Age people placed flowers with their dead.Radiocarbon tests and the style of metalwork found in the grave suggest that the tomb dates from between 1950 BC and 2100 BC. Prehistorian Dr. Noble has said of the find: "The sheer size of the stone slabs used to construct the tomb, the extremely rare rock engravings, the rare preservation of the leather, wood, and bark items and the high status location make this a find of both national and international importance".
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