Scotland's Iron Age can be traced back to the skeletal remains of six men discovered beneath a kitchen floor in the highlands.
Initially believed to be a murder scene from the 18th century, the discovery was made beneath an estate office in Applecross.
The bones are approximately 2,000 years old, according to carbon dating, though.
Because it is the first Iron Age burial site discovered on the west Highland coast, archaeologist Cathy Dagg deemed the discovery significant.
She stated that no previous Iron Age burials had been discovered.
"The remains of anyone interred here would not have survived in the acidic soil. ".
Ms. Dagg contributed to the excavation of the bones in 2015 and has since kept a close eye on the area.
North and south of Applecross, burial grounds had been discovered that were well-preserved in the machair soil—sandy coastal meadows.
Because the bodies were buried in a "storm beach" made up of cobblestones that had helped to keep the remains dry, the Applecross bones were the only ones to have survived.
This added to the site's protection from the elements when the Applecross estate office was constructed in the 19th century.
According to Ms. Dagg, nobody would have known what was hidden beneath the floorboards as they ate breakfast while seated in the kitchen.
Three mandibles were among the bones, which initially led archaeologists to think the find involved the remains of three individuals.
Other bone fragments were identified through analysis as belonging to three additional men, all of whom lived during the Iron Age.
Around 800 BC was the start of this era in Scotland.
On Tuesday, February 28, starting at 19:30, Ms. Dagg will speak in Applecross Hall for the Applecross Heritage Center about the most recent discoveries.
