Back in the early 2000's, The site on Marshill, Alloa opposite the town hall, formerly occupied by Colville's Nursery, was archeologically excavated prior to the building of housing on the land. There, the remains of a young warrior, aged about 30, with his spear, a sword with a two-foot-long blade, his belt and scabbard, were found, enclosed in his stone coffin.
A copper pin, which once fastened his uniform at the neck, remained, along with rings on two toes and six other rings unlike any found in Scotland before. He was gripping his sword. Experts believe the hill may have been used for holy ceremonies and burials since the Bronze Age at least 1,500 years earlier. Also found just feet away was the skeleton of a Bronze Age woman buried in 2000BC.
More than twenty cremation urns and a cist burial from the Bronze Age were also found there in a previous excavation in 1828. A pair of gold bracelets, now on show at the National Museum of Scotland, highlight the importance of those buried in the cemetery, which may once have been marked by a cairn. It is thought to be unique that the site seems to span more than 1,500 years, and those within it seem to have had considerable wealth.
The discovery on Marshill, Alloa, was hailed at the time as one of the most significant Iron Age finds for decades in Scotland.