A "remarkable" Bronze Age hoard dating back around 3,000 years is set to go on display to the British public.
The Carnoustie Hoard, named after where it was found in Angus, will be open to the public next summer in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Discovered in 2016, the hoard includes a rare spearhead which is decorated with gold, as well as a bronze sword housed in a wooden scabbard.
Researchers believe the discovery, which dates back as far as 1120-960BC, provides evidence of a local warrior elite in the Angus area more than 3,000 years ago.
PICTURED: Dr Matthew Knight and the spearhead. Only one other of its kind has ever been found in Scotland
|NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND
Archaeologists also believed it to be the first weapons cache in Scotland to have been found in a clearly-defined settlement because it was uncovered close to a round Bronze Age structure and had been placed there "deliberately".
The senior curator of prehistory at National Museums Scotland (NMS), Dr Matthew Knight, has said he cannot wait for visitors to see the display when it opens in June as part of the "Scotland's First Warriors" exhibition, after "hours of painstaking conservation".
"The Carnoustie Hoard is a remarkable discovery," Dr Knight said.
"This is the first time we've encountered weapons buried at a settlement where people lived.
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The hoard includes a rare spearhead decorated with gold, and a bronze sword in a wooden scabbard
|NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND
The spearhead has an intricately-decorated, gold-bound socket
|NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND
"It forces us to reconsider relationships between people and these objects and enriches our picture of life in Bronze Age Scotland."
Dr Knight added: "On top of that, we have the exceptional survival of wood, textiles and animal skin that express how much these objects were valued."
The trove was first uncovered by Guard Archaeology in 2016 in an area which was set to become two football pitches near Carnoustie.
The rarity of some of the items stunned scientists who commented on the care which appeared to have been taken during the weapons' creation.
The sword is described as having an 'unusual' lead-tin pommel
|NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND
The spearhead boasts an intricately-decorated, gold-bound socket - and only one other similar item has ever been found in Scotland.
The sword is described as having an "unusual" lead-tin pommel.
The weapon was found within the remains of a wooden scabbard, making it the first sheathed Bronze Age sword to be found north of the border.
The free exhibition will take place at the National Museum of Scotland from June 27, 2026 until May 17, 2027.