A Bronze Age hoard discovered in Carnoustie has been acquired by National Museums Scotland and will go on display for the first time in a new exhibition opening next summer.

The hoard includes a rare spearhead decorated with gold and a bronze sword in a wooden scabbard, dating from around 1120-920 BC. Scotland’s First Warriors (27 Jun 2026 – 17 May 2027) will bring together over 250 objects spanning thousands of years, to explore the origins and impact of conflict and warfare in prehistoric Scotland. 

Scotland’s oldest known bagpipe chanter, a horn spoon collected by an Austrian aristocrat and an exquisite medieval rock crystal charmstone are among the Gaelic stories behind 15 objects in the collections of National Museums Scotland which have been published in a new bilingual online resource.

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh 
28 June–30 November 2025 
 
nms.ac.uk/monkeys

A unique rock crystal jar found as part of the Galloway Hoard will go on public display for the first time later this year. The Galloway Hoard: Rock Crystal Jar will open on 8 November 2025, at Kirkcudbright Galleries, near where the Hoard was first discovered.  

• Immersive showcase of giant prehistoric animals opens at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on 2 August before moving to Scotland in January 2026
• Visitors will encounter awe-inspiring creatures that roamed the Earth after the extinction of the dinosaurs
• Exhibition also highlights need to protect current natural giants such as elephants and whales.