National Museums Scotland

Introducing… the Peebles Hoard 🥁 ✨ It’s a spectacular collection of bronze, leather and wooden material dating to the Late Bronze Age (c.1000-800 BCE). Many of these objects have never been found before in Scotland. So, as you can imagine, we’re *pretty* excited. It was discovered in June 2020 after some unusual bronze items were found by a metal detectorist in the Scottish Borders. These finds were reported to the Treasure Trove Unit, and our curators and conservators then assembled to assist with the excavation of the hoard. The hoard contains many unique and unusual objects, which is great fun because it means that our curators can come up with temporary nicknames for them, like the iconic round ‘doughnuts’ 🍩 We can’t wait to tell you more about it, but first, we have to know more about it. The hoard will soon be going into our labs for an extensive programme of conservation. Head to our website to read more about this (very exciting!) find: https://lnkd.in/emt9yYdJ

Archaeological human remains provide an intimate connection with the people of Scotland’s past. Research into these collections can inform our understanding of topics such as migration, disease and diet, which have great relevance to our understanding of the World today. We’re about to begin Scotland’s Archaeological Human Remains Collections (SAHRC) - a collaborative project with Historic Environment Scotland. This project will see the appointment of Scotland’s first dedicated Curator of Osteoarchaeology and the development of research and storage facilities at the National Museums Collection Centre. It will also provide leadership and guidance for the Scottish heritage sector on the ethical care, curation and research of Scottish archaeological human remains. Find out more on our website: https://lnkd.in/e_F9ANzm SAHRC is part of the Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) programme, funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through the UKRI Infrastructure Fund.

The Galloway Hoard was discovered 10 years ago on 1 September 2014. Over the past decade, National Museums Scotland researchers have been examining its contents and carefully conserving the 105 objects that were buried together in the southwest of Scotland in AD900. Most of the hoard has been displayed in the years since its discovery, but the last object to be revealed is a silver lidded vessel. 🧵 It was found wrapped in textiles which had to be conserved carefully over many years and now the vessel has finally been unwrapped and stabilised. 🐆 The vessel contained precious and exotic objects like silk and rock crystal from faraway lands. Its surface revealed religious imagery which also suggested a central or western Asian origin. Analysis of the silver and decorative materials revealed a distant origin too... ⬛️ Now that it's finally been unwrapped, analysis of the niello – that's the black inlay that outlines details of the design - reveals that it originates from what is now central Iran. ✨ Although vessels of similar size and shape have been used as Viking-age treasure containers, this is the only one confirmed as coming directly from the Silk Road. Now fully conserved, this unique object will be going on display for the very first time at The British Museum. ‘Silk Roads’ (26 September 2024-23 February 2025) unravels how the journeys of people, objects and ideas that formed the Silk Roads shaped cultures and histories. Visitors will be able to see this stunning vessel which once contained treasures from one of the most important UK archaeological finds of the century, and which now provides us with more clues to its origins. Read more about this research in a piece published in The Observer 📰: https://lnkd.in/d88rBdRN The Galloway Hoard was acquired by National Museums Scotland in 2017 with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund and The Scottish Government as well as a major public fundraising campaign. Since then, it has been undergoing extensive conservation and research at the National Museums Collection Centre in Edinburgh under the auspices of an AHRC-funded research project, ‘Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard’, undertaken in partnership with the University of Glasgow.

Help us shape our museums for a greener future 🌱 At National Museums Scotland we are working to minimise our impact on climate change and biodiversity loss. We’d like to hear your thoughts on how we can use our collections and expertise to address these topics through interpretation, events and exhibitions ♻️ Complete our short survey - (it’ll take about 6 minutes): https://lnkd.in/eu3CMqma

What time is it? It’s announcement time! This is a mechanical standing equinoctial ring dial. Or, as we prefer to say, a fancy sun dial. It’s now on display at the National Museum of Scotland ☀️ The Ilay Glynne dial was made around 1715 by Richard Glynne a successful and well-regarded maker of mathematical instruments and a member of the Clockmakers’ Company. This is the most important surviving example of his work. It was used to measure local time from the Sun, providing the most accurate means of setting clocks available at the time. It’s also pretty impressive to look at, and was a bit of a status symbol in its time. It was commissioned by and belonged to Archibald Campbell, Earl of Ilay and later 3rd Duke of Argyll (1682-1761) who was a hugely influential figure in post-Union Scotland. He had control over royal patronage in Scotland, and managed Scottish affairs, making him a very powerful figure in the first half of the 18th century. He was a founder and the first governor of the Royal Bank of Scotland - you can still see his likeness on the £100 note today 💷 It’s now on display in the Spirit of the Age gallery in the National Museum of Scotland. The acquisition was made possible with support from Art Fund, with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation, National Heritage Memorial Fund, National Museums Scotland Charitable Trust and other generous donors in the United Kingdom and United States of America.

A 1800 year old puzzle, which took 2 months to complete 🧩 National Museums Scotland artefact conservator, Bethan Bryan, shares the process of reconstructing a Roman Arm guard. Discovered in 1906 near Melrose in the Scottish Borders, this is the first time it’s been seen in full since around AD180. For fans of: Roman-era artefacts, challenging jigsaws and conservation ASMR - watch the painstaking process in full: https://lnkd.in/g_377ETG The arm guard is currently on display in 'Legion: life in the Roman army' at the British Museum until 23 June. Later this year, it travels back to the National Museum of Scotland where you’ll see it on display in the Early People gallery.

Help us with our research! 📢 We're excited to be partners - alongside Historic Environment Scotland, the Hunterian Museum and Edify - on Museums in the Metaverse: a project to develop an Extended Reality (XR) platform. Led by the University of Glasgow, Museums in the Metaverse will explore ways for visitors to experience and engage with museums and their collections in virtual spaces, drawing on new forms of interpretation and storytelling developed by curators. Our partners at University of Glasgow are looking for people to take a short, anonymous survey about how you experience cultural heritage attractions. Fill out the questionnaire here https://lnkd.in/eTaviUj8 For more information about the Museums in the Metaverse project, visit: https://lnkd.in/eJu2dqxM

We have some exiting new jobs in our Digital Media and Marketing & Communications teams. Are you our next Assistant Producer 🎥 or CRM & Ticketing Officer? 👩💻 Check out our new vacancies on the Job section of our page or visit our careers portal on the link below for more in depth information, recruitment packs and helpful tips on applying.

Math is everywhere, if you look for it… 🧮 Our free online training will help you find the maths stories in your museum collections and create maths-focused programming and events for your school and family audiences. You don’t need to have a maths, science, technology or engineering collection to take part. Every collection has a maths story somewhere - and we can help you find it! 📅 Wed 29 May, 10:00-15:00 Book your place and join us online: https://lnkd.in/eW2xBfza

The global environmental emergency is the biggest challenge facing the world. At National Museums Scotland we’re committed to creating positive change. We’re working to reduce our own impact on the planet, and to use our collection to influence and engage others 🌍 - We waved goodbye to Rising Tide earlier this month, an exhibition which explored the relationship between humans and nature. Rising Tide featured responses to climate change and plastic waste by Indigenous Australian and Pacific Islander artists. Read more about how the exhibition was designed to reflect these core themes on our blog: https://lnkd.in/eTmCpHGw - The Nova 30 tidal turbine highlights Scotland’s position as world-leaders in tidal energy. Previously used in the Bluemull Sound in Shetland and largely funded by the community, it’s now proudly on display at the National Museum of Scotland. - Our current exhibition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, presents images that shine a light on stories and species around the world and encourages a future of advocating for the planet. - We’ve introduced ‘Low mow’ areas at the National Museums Collection Centre, as well as the National Museums of Rural Life and Flight, to enhance and nurture biodiversity at our sites. - We’re continuing to collect objects and cultural responses to environmental change. Recent additions to our Fashion & Style collection include an outfit made from a repurposed Harris Tweed suit and Ugandan barkcloth, and a statement piece from sustainable circular fashion studio, Phoebe English. Carbon reduction is a fundamental part of our business and we’re making progress. We have already reduced our carbon emissions by 77% against the 1990 baseline, and now we’re working hard on achieving further reductions and a target of net zero by 2045. - 100% of our electricity is on a green tariff. - We have removed plastic bottles from our museums, and are working to eliminate plastics from our packaging and shops. - The principles of reduce, recycle and reuse are applied to our exhibition production. - We are replacing the lighting in our museum displays with energy-efficient LED lighting. - We have introduced ground and air source heating at the National Museum of Flight. We cannot do this on our own. We will need support from Government, city partners, our visitors and suppliers, as well as broader societal change. For more information about the above, and to discover more about our vision for sustainable development, visit: https://lnkd.in/eAxDcPUh ♻ #EarthDay