GEORGE MAIR
THE discovery of the body of a warrior - thought to have died in
battle more than 2,000 years ago - could help archaeologists to
pinpoint the site of an ancient Druid holy site, experts said
yesterday.
The young warrior, aged about 30, with his spear, a sword, his belt
and scabbard, stunned archaeologists who found his stone coffin.
The discovery on Marshill, Alloa, last year was hailed as one of the
most significant Iron Age finds for decades in Scotland.
A copper pin, which once fastened his uniform at the neck, remained,
along with rings on two toes and six other rings unlike any found in
Scotland before. He was gripping his sword.
Experts now believe the hill may have been used for holy ceremonies
and burials since the Bronze Age at least 1,500 years earlier.
An Alloa archaeologist, Susan Mills, who along with experts from
Glasgow University discovered the grave, also found the skeleton of
a Bronze Age woman buried in 2000BC just feet away.
More than 20 cremation urns and a cist burial from the Bronze Age
were also found there in 1828.
A pair of gold bracelets, now on show at the National Museum of
Scotland, highlight the importance of those buried in the cemetery,
which she believes would once have been marked by a huge cairn.
Mrs Mills said: "It is not just chance that this warrior was buried
in such close proximity to the Bronze Age burial ground.
"What is unique is that this site seems to span more than 1,500
years, and those within it seem to have had considerable wealth.
"The warrior's possessions, and the care given to his burial,
suggest he was in the upper echelons of his group. Such richly
furnished graves are very rare in Scotland. It suggests that this
area was regarded as a special, sacred holy ground for more than a
millennium.
"Marshill would have been an ideal location for the pagan
communities to site such a significant burial ground, on high land.
It is very likely there would have been a cairn so that it could be
seen from miles around."
She said that although the warrior was in Alloa around the time of
the Romans' occupation of the country, he was most likely from
Scotland.
She said: "The warrior burial is remarkable. Rings from his belt and
scabbard have never been found before, so he may have been quite
exotic.
"His specially-made sword blade is 2ft long - much longer than the
nearest equivalent found near Falkirk.
"Although we are not sure exactly how or where he died, his burial
site must have been a special place."
The theory is revealed in the forthcoming edition of Current
Archaeology magazine.
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=428762004 
