Bronze Age finds returning to island home

The objects include spear heads

A sword, axe heads and rare decorative beads made of amber and gold are among Bronze Age objects returning to the Western Isles on loan.

The items were uncovered during peat digging in the 19th and 20th centuries in the Ness area of Lewis.

The sword's blade is still reasonably sharp even after 3,000 years buried in the ground.

The objects are in held in the care of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, but are being released on loan to Ness museum Comunn Eachdraidh Nis for a new exhibition opening on 18 April.

A sword was another of rare finds made at Ness

Several of the finds, including axe and spear heads, razors, fragments of a decorated container and the beads, are from a Late Bronze Age hoard found near Adabrock in 1910.

Archaeologists have described it as one of the most diverse hoards to be discovered in Britain.

The sword is one of two found on separate occasions at Aird Dell in 1891 and 1892.

Dr Matthew Knight, a senior curator at National Museums Scotland, said: "These Bronze Age objects represent the rich spectrum of life in the Western Isles 3,000 years ago."