Secrets of Scotland’s mediaeval past will be revealed when never-before-seen Pictish artefacts go on public display.
Archaeologists from Aberdeen University uncovered most of the objects – described as some of the most exciting discoveries in years – at digs at Rhynie, Aberdeenshire.
Last year, what are thought to be the first royal Pictish remains in the north-east were discovered at the site.
Discoveries including pottery imported from the Mediterranean and shards of glass from France have reinforced the belief that the Rhynie area enjoyed a high status in the fifth and sixth centuries.
The artefacts, some of which are more than a thousand years old, are going on display next week at the Tarbat Discovery Centre in Portmahomack, Easter Ross.
Dr Gordon Noble, who led the research, said: “These are really significant discoveries and we have really only scratched the surface at sites like Rhynie.
“The metalwork we discovered is exceptional. Nothing quite like it has been found before.
“What we have discovered shows that the early Picts had very wide trade networks, and there are some great examples of high-status metalwork such as pins for fastening cloaks.
“The amount of information we have from this period is very small. This is just a couple of centuries after the Romans withdrew from Britain and when the first kingdoms emerged.”
One of the highlights of the exhibition is a small iron pendant, shaped like an axe, which is similar to that carried by Rhynie Man – a stone carving depicting a Pictish warrior.
Another is Scotland’s only known metalworking tongs – symbols of power and authority in the Pictish period.
Tony Watson, chairman of the Discovery Centre, said: “Here at the site of our Pictish monastery in Portmahomack we are starting to understand that this did not happen here by chance but was the result of an already established and sophisticated society.”
The exhibition, supported by National Museums Scotland and Glenmorangie, opens on Monday and runs until the end of September.
Displays will be updated during the year as new digs begin.