MORE than 5000 years of Scottish history have been represented in a collection of 25 objects, revealed today by VisitScotland in a brand new e-book.
Sir Walter Scot’s desk, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s travelling canteen and the world’s oldest football have all been included in the list which details the historic development of Scottish society from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway.
Complied by a host of Scottish history experts, the 25 objects have been named for the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
This year has been earmarked as the year to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector with an array of innovative exhibitions and activities.
Aside from the year, the precise release date is also of significance; July 20 is International Chess Day and one of the world’s foremost chess artefacts, the Lewis Chessmen, comes in at a respectable number nine on the list.
Chronological and geographical factors were considered alongside historical merit to determine which objects made the shortlist.
The final 25 were then selected by a panel of representatives from Historic Environment Scotland, National Museums of Scotland, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and VisitScotland.
Gwen Raez, senior marketing manager at VisitScotland said she was “delighted” to unveil the list which “best represents Scotland’s rich and colourful history”.
She admitted, however, that “it is by no means an exhaustive collection and we know there will be many more out there that people want to add!”
The hashtags, #25objects and #hha2017, have been created for those who wish to suggest alternatives to the current list.
VisitScotland are hopeful that tourists, inspired by the list, will endeavour to travel in order to discover as many of the objects as possible, discovering more about Scotland’s captivating past as they go.
“Scotland’s history, heritage and archaeology are among the top reasons for visiting Scotland”, Raez added, “and 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism in every single corner of the country.
“We hope lots of visitors enjoy this fascinating e-book”, she concluded.
The objects range from a pre- historic harpoon point – uncovered in the Macarthur Cave in Oban – to Dolly the Sheep, currently housed at the National Museum of Scotland and the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell.
Also included is a violin which sparked a rebellious streak in perhaps the most famous Scot of them all, Robert Burns. The violin was owned by his dance teacher – a pastime that the poet is thought to have taken up as a barb against his father, who believed dancing was sinful.
“It’s great to see a mixture of old favourites and unexpected items come together to tell a story that opens with the first hunter-gatherers and stretches all the way up to our living memory”, Dr Jeff Sanders, Dig It! 2017 project manager at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, explained.
“Now that the list has been revealed, it’s the perfect time to discover Scotland’s stories for yourself .
“As you can imagine, it was not an easy task,” he added.
Helen Ireland, director of external relations at National Museums Scotland, expressed her excitement at being involved in the “enterprising project”.
“The five objects selected from the national collections demonstrate the incredible range of our collections.
“We hope that the e-book will encourage even more people to discover the outstanding heritage of Scotland and to visit the National Museum of Scotland in particular.”
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