A GOLD-decorated bronze spearhead has been heralded as the “find of a lifetime” and a discovery of international significance by the archaeological team that unearthed it at Carnoustie.

The weapon was part of a hoard uncovered at Balmachie last year during an archaeological evaluation before Angus Council went ahead with the development of two grass football pitches.

Now that it has been fully evaluated, Alan Hunter Blair, project officer from GUARD Archaeology which carried out the dig said: “It is one of only a handful of gold decorated bronze spearheads that have been found across Britain and Ireland, so this find alone is of international significance. The hoard of artefacts, which are around three thousand years old, is the find of a lifetime.”

The spearhead was part of a hoard that contained a bronze sword, pin and scabbard fittings in a pit close to a Late Bronze Age settlement that was excavated by the archaeological team.

According to the council: “This hoard of metalwork is a major addition to Scottish late Bronze Age archaeology and the presence of gold ornament on the spearhead makes this an exceptional group.”

In Britain and Ireland, only a handful of such spearheads are known - among them a weapon hoard found in 1963 at Pyotdykes Farm, west of Dundee. These two weapon hoards from Angus - found only a few kilometres apart - hint at the wealth of the local warrior society during the centuries around 1000-800 BC.

The Carnoustie discovery has international significance because of the extremely rare survival of organic remains including a leather and wooden scabbard, the latter probably the best preserved Late Bronze Age sword scabbard found in Britain.

There was also fur skin around the spearhead, and textile around the pin and scabbard. Such organic remains rarely survive on dryland sites.

The hoard was not an isolated find, but was buried within a Late Bronze Age settlement. When the excavation is complete, experts will search for further insight into this local Bronze Age community.

The excavation also revealed the largest Neolithic hall so far found in Scotland - a building dating to around 4000 BC.

A recent report to Angus Council communities committee emphasised the rare nature of the find.

It stated: “The material contained within the hoard is of local, national and international significance. The rarity and uniqueness of these items cannot be overstated, and the implications for adding to our understanding of the Late Bronze Age in Scotland, Britain and Europe are significant.

“Dr Alison Sheridan, curator of Early Prehistory at the National Museum of Scotland, has been consulted on the hoard. She states that ‘the hoard is unquestionably of national, indeed international significance.”

Committee convener Donald Morrison said: “It is clear that Carnoustie was as much a hive of activity in Neolithic times as it is now.

“The discoveries made on land destined for sporting development have given us a fascinating insight into our Angus forebears and I look forward to learning more about our local prehistory.”

Vice convener Jeanette Gaul said: “To make such a find while preparing to create sports facilities for Carnoustie came as a huge surprise to us all.

“We’ve since learned it is of national and, indeed, international importance. But I am pleased that the archaeologists have involved local young people in the excavation project and are offering us all an insight into Angus’ distant past.”