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<< News >> Siblings praised over flint find

Submitted by Anonymous on Monday, 27 December 2004  Page Views: 3251

DiscoveriesA young brother and sister have been praised for helping piece together Scotland's "ancient historical jigsaw". Robert Simon, 12, and his 10-year-old sister Kirsty found an odd-shaped stone on a path above Dunsappie Loch at Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh.

They handed it over to the Museum of Scotland where it was discovered that the stone was actually an early bronze age flint arrowhead.

Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson congratulated the pair for their find.

Alan Saville, senior curator of earliest prehistory at the National Museums of Scotland, added: "This arrowhead helps to throw light on the importance of the Arthur's Seat area for bronze age settlement."

Robert said: "I was walking along the path when I looked down to see a piece of flint on the path.

"My grandpa and I though it was odd to see flint, so we looked closer and noticed how strangely shaped it was.

"I was pleased I'd found something so important."

Kirsty added: "I thought it was just a small piece of stone but when we looked up close we saw the shape of it. We decided to take it to the museum to find out about it and ask what we should do with it.

"I'm glad that people will be able to go to the museum to see it."

The arrowhead dates to the early bronze age - a time when new people were moving to Britain from the continent and bringing new technologies, including introducing metal-working. It was likely used in warfare or hunting.

Experts say it adds another piece of information to what is known about early settlement and occupation on Arthur's Seat.

It has been allocated to the Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile - part of the City of Edinburgh museums service.

Ms Ferguson said: "Robert and Kirsty should be congratulated for acting so responsibly by bringing this exciting piece of Scotland's past to the attention of experts.

"We will now be able to learn more about how people in ancient Scotland lived, how they developed technologies and even about where we came from.

"This find is a small piece of Scotland's ancient historical jigsaw, but a vital one. Well done to Robert, Kirsty and their grandparents for helping add another valuable addition to Scotland's treasures."

Source: BBC Online 27 December 2004

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"Siblings praised over flint find" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Arthur's Seat arrow pinpoints Bronze Age living by PaulM on Monday, 27 December 2004
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From the Edinburgh Evening News...

A YOUNG brother and sister who discovered an ancient arrowhead on Arthur’s Seat were praised today for helping piece together Scotland’s "ancient historical jigsaw".

Robert Simon, 12, and his ten-year-old sister Kirsty found what they thought was an odd-shaped stone on a path above Dunsapie Loch.

They handed it over to the Museum of Scotland, where staff identified the stone as an early Bronze Age flint arrowhead, dating from as long ago as 2000BC. It has now been donated to the Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile.

Alan Saville, Senior Curator of Earliest Prehistory at the National Museums of Scotland, said: "This arrowhead helps to throw light on the importance of the Arthur’s Seat area for Bronze Age settlement."

Robert, from Fairmilehead, said: "I was walking along the path when I looked down to see a piece of flint on the path.

"We looked closer and noticed how strangely shaped it was."

Kirsty added: "We took it to the museum to find out about it. I’m glad that people can go to the museum to see it."
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Odd stone that made day out a treasure hunt (The Herald) by Anonymous on Monday, 27 December 2004
WHEN schoolchildren Robert and Kirsty Simon chanced upon an oddly shaped piece of stone by a path, they did not realise they had found a vital piece of Scotland's "ancient historical jigsaw".
The brother and sister are being praised for handing in what turned out to be an early Bronze Age flint arrowhead to the National Museums of Scotland.
The find will be placed in The Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile and Patricia Ferguson, culture minister, said the children had helped to preserve Scotland's treasure trove.
The story of their unusual find comes on the day the Scottish Executive publishes its final response to the Normand Report review of treasure trove arrangements for Scotland.
The preserving of historical artifacts often damaged by construction work or climatic changes has been given fresh impetus after other Bronze Age items were recently spotted being offered on the eBay internet site for as little as £16.
Robert, 14, and Kirsty, 12, from Fairmilehead, Edinburgh, were on a day out with their grandparents, John and Audrey Simon, when they spotted an unusual stone on the path above Dunsappie Loch.
Kirsty, a pupil at Boroughmuir High School, said of the find, in summer 2003: "We thought it was just a small piece of stone with most of the ends chipped off. My grandpa pointed out its shape and that it could be an arrowhead."
Robert said: "My grandpa and I thought it was odd to see flint, so we looked closer and noticed how strangely shaped it was."
Although the children decided to hand their find into the museum, the arrowhead lay in a drawer in Mr Simon's study for nearly a year before they got round to it.
The grandfather said: "I couldn't believe it. It was like finding a gold sovereign on Princes Street. So many people are back and forward on Arthur's Seat the chance of finding something like this is extremely rare.
"It was the size of a thumb nail and the flint was glinting in the sun. Arthur's seat is volcanic so something made of flint stood out like a real foreign object.
"It took us a year to get to the museum and when Alan Saville, the senior curator, came down to speak to us at the desk I expected him to tell us they had a drawer full. But no, he was very surprised and equally curious as there had been no report of any findings there before."
Ms Ferguson said Kirsty and Robert had acted responsibly in handing over their find which she described as a "small but vital piece of Scotland's ancient historical jigsaw".
The minister said: "A small piece of Scotland's ancient past has been uncovered which will tell us all more about how we lived and how new technologies developed and shaped Scotland's history.
"We have today published the executive's response to the review of treasure trove arrangements in Scotland, making it clear how much importance we attach to the responsibilities of those who find historic treasures in Scotland...Well done to Robert, Kirsty and their grandparents for helping add another valuable addition to Scotland's treasures."
Alan Saville, senior curator of earliest prehistory at the National Museums of Scotland, said: "This arrowhead helps to throw light on the importance of the Arthur's Seat area for Bronze Age settlement.
"The claiming of the find demonstrated the effectiveness of Scotland's treasure trove system in ensuring the preservation of objects from our early past."
Under the new recommendations, the treasure trove advisory panel will issue a code of practice and new guidance material and report annually to the Scottish Parliament.
The arrowhead dates from a time when new skills were being brought to the continent from Britain, such as metal working.
Under Scots law all ancient objects found must be declared to the Crown, which allocates the items to museums in Scotland. Finders are normally compensated the full market value.
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