A Tiny Treasure

romhc Friday, 13 April 2018

An arrowhead was discovered on Ardtun on low-quality crofting land, typical of Mull, usually thick with bracken. The area had been cleared of bracken during the building of a small wooden shed, and the regular walking backwards and forwards over a few months had scuffed the surface of the soil.  The flint arrowhead was spotted lying on the surface of the soil one day, in summer 2014.  That particlar area would not have been cleared of bracken, down to soil level, for many years previously. The location was Coille Challtuinn croft, Achnahard, Ardtun, near Bunessan and belongs to friends, Celia Compton and Phil Yielder. Several people were very excited to be shown the arrowhead, as was a curator at the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh. It was taken to the Treasure Trove department of the museum, and a finder’s form completed, with OS map grid reference, and details of how it was found. A satellite map application pinpointed the location more precisely. Dr Alison Sheridan, Principal Curator of Early Prehistory at the National Museum of Scotland, thought that it was of intrinsic archaeological interest as an example of a Chalcolithic or Early Bronze Age barbed-and-tanged arrowhead, dating to somewhere between 2500 and 1500 BC. This tiny treasure is displayed at the Historical Centre


The Ross of Mull is an extraordinary microcosm of all that draws visitors to the Hebridean Islands. The scenery, as you travel along the single-track road from the ferry at Craignure is breath-taking. You experience in the many walks in the area a true sense of wilderness; the secret bays with their beaches of silvery sand, the abundance of wildlife and the innumerable marks on the landscape of the lives of past generations and communities long gone. The Ross of Mull is a compelling place for anyone fascinated by history and the ancient way of life of the Gaelic people.

Contact Us

Ross of Mull Historical Centre
Millbrae Cottage
Bunessan
Isle of Mull
Argyll PA67 6DG

By Phone: 01681 700659
By Email: enquiries@romhc.org.uk

Opening Times

Our museum is now closed for the winter.
Reopening Spring 2025.

 

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