Roman Brooch Discovered Beneath Whiskey Distillery

Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman brooch from underneath a whiskey distillery in Scotland, revealing a heretofore unknown exchange which occurred almost 2,000 years ago, GUARD Archaeology reported.

Discovery Rewrites a Portion of Roman and Scottish History

Researchers say that this discovery rewrites a portion of Scottish and Roman history, recontextualizing what’s previously known about the interaction between the two disparate cultures. While Roman historical records refer to the Scots as “barbarians,” scientists now believe that the Scottish people were far more evolved and less brutalist than their Roman counterparts led people to believe.

The broach was discovered in 2020 during the excavation of an Iron Age roundhouse which was most likely a farming residence. The study’s co-author, Jordan Barbour, contends that the artifact was buried as part of a ritual as opposed to being lost. This would align with ancient traditions in which so-called “foundation offerings” were buried underneath public structures to grant the buildings protection. “There was no evidence that it had been worn by a local Briton,” Barbour explained. “Instead, they had buried it as a foundation deposit, a votive sacrifice of sorts, when constructing the timber palisade around their roundhouse."

Experts Posit Several Theories About Brooch's Provenance

Though he’s unsure exactly how the brooch ended up in Scotland, Barbour hypothesized that it was either the result of trade or warfare. "The brooch is more likely to have been obtained through ad hoc exchange with Roman troops operating north of Hadrian's Wall,” he said, “[or] perhaps even taken in battle as a trophy.”

The Scottish archaeological site’s history extends far beyond Roman rule. Based upon evidence gleaned from shards of pottery as well as a large wooden monument likely constructed between 3,700 and 3,500 B.C., researchers estimate that the site was home to a revolving door of human activity for as long as 5,000 years.