Satchel (Scotland's First Peoples)

These remains of an early medieval satchel are the oldest ever found in Scotland.

They were discovered during the excavation of the artificial island settlement of Loch Glashan in the 1960s.

The different leather panels that formed the satchel were preserved by the waterlogged conditions of the site.  The satchel would have been held together and decorated by leather tongs. The holes for the things can still be seen.

Manuscripts and images from the period show monks carrying bags similar to this satchel. This suggests that it would probably have held a religious book, annals or possibly the relics of a saint.