Dig It!

Keen to learn more about animals in archaeology, no experience required? 🦴 Join a free workshop in the Borders on 19 or 20 November to examine real artefacts, learn essential recording skills and gain a deeper understanding of archaeological animal bone: www.digitscotland.com/events/?show...

Over 2,000 years ago, residents of a wetland village in Dumfries & Galloway may have used plants to make an Iron Age first aid kit 💊 This included a bowl holding willow leaves, which have long been known to effectively treat pain, fevers, joints and arthritis: www.digitscotland.com/the-archaeob...

The face of a man who died on the Roman frontier in Scotland almost 2,000 years ago has been revealed in a facial reconstruction.

Want to hear the latest research into the rich past of Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Outer Hebrides) and Shetland? 🌊 Join a free hybrid event on 30 October to celebrate Scotland's Islands Research Framework for Archaeology and ask the experts your questions: www.digitscotland.com/events/scotl...

Hoards of precious metals and monumental buildings may hit the headlines, but what people threw away can perhaps tell us even more about past lives 🗑️ When researching historic health, eating habits and more, rubbish often holds the answers for archaeologists: www.digitscotland.com/treasures-in...

Though never excavated, we can tell a lot about Gallamuir Fort in Stirling from cropmarks seen from the air 🛩️ Double ditches indicate this was a substantial site intended to impress, and the central 'blobs' mark the position of several prehistoric roundhouses: www.digitscotland.com/cream-of-the...

A metal detectorist has said it is 'quite extraordinary' to have discovered his second Bronze Age hoard in just two years👇

In 1965, a storm revealed a Pictish cemetery in Fife which included remains of people who lived with physical impairments over 1,300 years ago ⛈️ On 15 October, discover how archaeology is helping to restore disability histories like these at a free hybrid talk: www.digitscotland.com/events/histo...

Over 4,500 years ago, 28 cattle skulls—including those of aurochs, an ‘ancient wild cow with huge, curved horns’—were buried in the foundations of an Orkney house 🐂 The site is a key source of evidence for this extinct animal, which died out 1,000 years later: www.digitscotland.com/the-archaeol...

‘Hugely exciting’ finds on tiny Scottish island shed light on spread of Christianity

South West Scotland is home to many significant archaeological locations, including medieval gems like Dundonald Castle 🏰 Want to learn more about the research potential of sites like this from across the region? Join a free workshop in Kilmarnock on 2 October: www.digitscotland.com/events/swsar...

In 1933, a hoard of Roman coins was unearthed in Falkirk which contained another artefact arguably more precious than the ancient silver 😍 The mouth of the pot contained a fragment of the earliest known tartan in Scotland, thought to be around 1,800 years old: www.digitscotland.com/poisonous-wo...

Think you've found a historical artefact in Scotland? Not sure if it’s an old button or a Roman coin? The Treasure Trove Unit can help ⭐ Their experts will be in Glasgow and Peebles on 26 September and are eager to see your finds—book a free timeslot to find out more: www.digitscotland.com/events/

Since 2023, volunteers and experts in Glasgow have been unearthing evidence from the Viking-Age Kingdom of Strathclyde ⚔️ This weekend, travel back over 1,000 years into Scotland's past as you observe the excavation, handle artefacts and enjoy free activities: www.digitscotland.com/events/mini-...

Two (very likely) Neolithic axe fragments from the #CamphillDig26 site found in the past 24 hours. Nothing like this has been found in Glasgow for well over a century!

In 1823, locals tore down a controversial wall in Glasgow built by a wealthy distiller, leading to a landmark legal ruling defending rights to public pathways 📜 Now a dig is looking for the wall's remains, including a lost ‘watchtower’ once armed with cannons: www.digitscotland.com/events/diggi...

From rare coins to deadly weapons, the Treasure Trove system ensures that archaeological finds from Scotland are publicly recorded and preserved 💍 On 17 September, visit Trimontium Museum for a special event to view star artefacts recently found in the Borders: www.digitscotland.com/events/2025-...

In 1953, the remains of some of North Ayrshire's earliest inhabitants were recovered from a 5,000-year-old chamber in Largs 💀 From 14 September, archaeologists are returning to learn more about this monument and you're invited to observe the excavation: www.digitscotland.com/events/hayli...

One of Scotland's finest Pictish stones, the Hilton of Cadboll cross slab was erected in the Highlands some 1,200 years ago ⚒️ Now archaeologists have returned to the original site to explore new evidence of Pictish activity and you're invited to take a peek: www.digitscotland.com/events/cadbo...

It's Scottish Archaeology Month! 🎉 @archscot.bsky.social's annual celebration of history, heritage and archaeology is back again this year with talks, tours, workshops, excavations, exhibitions and more: www.digitscotland.com/events/scott...

Around AD 80, the Roman army built a fort near what is now Melrose in the Scottish Borders as a base to conquer the area ⚔️ Eager to know more? Join a guided walk (Thursdays until November) to discover what archaeology has revealed about life inside the fort: www.digitscotland.com/events/trimo...

GRANTS ANNOUNCEMENT: Society Funds New Archaeology Project Investigating Medieval Carved Stones Led by @celticist.bsky.social, the fieldwork will help to record, analyse and preserve “one of Scotland’s most under-exploited, at-risk historical resources”: www.socantscot.org/news/society...

This 170-year-old diving support vessel is "a unique survivor" from the engineering effort to transform the River Clyde in Glasgow ⚓ It was identified following a 2014 archaeological survey, which also uncovered more secrets from the city's boat graveyard: www.digitscotland.com/five-of-renf...

Built over 3,000 years ago, Pobull Fhinn is a prominent stone circle on Uibhist a Tuath (North Uist) and is today associated with the legendary hero, Fionn mac Cumhaill 🏹 On 26 August, join a guided walk to explore this site and a nearby Neolithic burial cairn: www.digitscotland.com/events/uist-...

Built in the 13th century, Bedrule Castle was an important power centre in the Borders, witnessing conflicts between families and kingdoms ⚔️ On 15 August, archaeologists will dig for clues to the castle's turbulent past and you're invited to watch them work: www.digitscotland.com/events/bedru...

Students and volunteers are set to uncover the prehistoric landscape of Ratho near Edinburgh as they search for traces of human activity from millennia ago 🏹 Drop by or attend free open days to tour the site and take part in geophysical survey and fieldwalking: www.digitscotland.com/events/the-t...

In 2025, volunteers identified a lost practice trench used by soldiers training for World War II at Newbattle Abbey outside Edinburgh 🪖 Now you're invited to uncover more of the site's history at their free dig this weekend (no experience required): www.digitscotland.com/events/archa...

Testing of teeth from an Argyll cave has shown that humans foraged and ate seaweed over 4,500 years ago, even after the introduction of farming 🦷 But that's not all! Analysis has also shown that for millennia seaweed has been used for fuel, fertiliser and more: www.digitscotland.com/the-archaeol...

An excavation at the site of a Pictish fortress in Moray is set to reveal new details about life in Scotland 1,200 years ago 🌊 Drop in to Burghead from 11 August to watch the digging or attend an open day on 22 August to enjoy site tours and a finds showcase: www.digitscotland.com/events/burgh...

In 2019, a "potentially nationally significant" cemetery from over 2,800 years ago was unearthed at the site of a new residential development in Angus ⚱️ Wondering what happens when human remains are found during building works? We asked experts for the answers: www.digitscotland.com/what-happens...

Made over 400 years ago, these bronze vessels are believed to have been found by Gypsy/Travellers and repurposed as safes 💎 They're just some of the many artefacts in Scottish museum collections thought to have been preserved through reuse by these communities: www.digitscotland.com/archaeologic...

Want to take part in family-friendly activities and learn more about Scottish archaeology? 😍 This weekend, visit the National Museum of Rural Life in South Lanarkshire and enjoy object handling, try out metal detectors, make a clay pot, and speak to experts: www.digitscotland.com/events/archa...

From 2023-25, geophysical survey revealed new underground features at the site of a Roman settlement in East Lothian built around 1,850 years ago 🧑‍💻 Dr Nick Hannon FSAScot explains what they found and how this technique can help to reveal Scotland's buried past: www.digitscotland.com/what-is-geop...

In 2023, a medieval stone carving of a warrior figure was found at the site of an ancient burial ground in Glasgow ⚔️ Now archaeologists are back to uncover more! Drop in this weekend as they unearth more secrets from a site with over 1,500 years of history: www.digitscotland.com/events/govan...

BBC article: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Once home to an Iron Age tribe and then Pictish kings, East Lomond hill in Fife was a place of power for almost 1,000 years 👑 Now archaeologists have returned to dig deeper into its history and you're invited to two special events to follow their progress: www.digitscotland.com/events/east-...

In the 1980s and 90s, cropmarks revealed the remains of a multi-period settlement site near Kelso in the Borders 🛩️ Now experts need your help to excavate the site and search for possible features like a Neolithic causewayed enclosure and an early medieval town: www.digitscotland.com/events/sprou...

Have you heard the news? A possible new stone or timber circle has been discovered at Machrie Moor on Arainn (Arran) using geophysical survey 🏔️ How do these techniques reveal hidden features below ground? Find out from the investigation's lead archaeologist: www.digitscotland.com/what-is-geop...

Volunteers and archaeologists are set to excavate houses and fields from a 17th- and 18th-century settlement in Glencoe 🏔️ Watch them in action from 5 to 7 July or join an Open Day on 10 July to enjoy storytelling, artefact handling, landscape tours and more: www.digitscotland.com/events/glenc...

Archaeologists are digging into the mysteries of Scotland's past this summer - and you're invited! 🌞 From Edinburgh to Orkney, the public are invited to visit sites and participate in investigations which could plug gaps in our knowledge of Scottish history: www.digitscotland.com/archaeologis...

FUNDING NEWS: Society’s National Archaeology Projects Celebrate Funding Success We are thrilled that Historic Environment Scotland has granted £876,115 to the Society to continue coordinating @scarf-scot.bsky.social and @digitscotland.bsky.social: www.socantscot.org/news/society... #HESsupported

Why did the Picts choose to carve mysterious beasts on their standing stones over 1,100 years ago? ⚒️ Join this online talk on 25 June to hear more about the creatures that crawl, slither and climb across the sculptural surfaces of Pictish art: www.digitscotland.com/events/what-...

Historically, Gypsy/Travellers have worked a mix of jobs, some of which brought them into contact with ancient artefacts 🦪 This Bronze Age spearhead was found near Stirling by a pearl fisher in 1909 and is now preserved for future generations: www.digitscotland.com/archaeologic... #GRTHM26

In 2019, prehistoric textiles—which rarely survive in Scotland’s acidic soil—were found attached to a pot in a Bronze Age cemetery in Angus 🪦 Together, the graves provide a valuable insight into burial practices, beliefs and daily life over 2,800 years ago: www.digitscotland.com/what-happens...

Balgay Park in Dundee may have been established in the 19th century, but remnants of the past are scattered around it which stretch back 4,000 years ago 🌳 On 21 June, join a guided walk led by New Scots who've been researching the history and archaeology: www.digitscotland.com/events/guide...

In 2019, a 2,000-year-old seal tooth pendant was found at an ancient site in Orkney where the seals still sing 🦭 The find inspired artist Jem Milton to create an artwork which married queer aspects of Scotland's selkie legend with real archaeological discoveries: bit.ly/ArchaeoSelkies

An 'exquisite' Roman brooch discovered by a metal detectorist in Midlothian is to go on show for the first time in a major new exhibition 👀