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A Generous Land

Find out how Scotland's early people made use of the land's abundant resources.

Scotland's early inhabitants were clearly skilled in their use of the land's resources. The artefacts that have survived tell a story of versatile and hardworking people, intent on survival. Their tools, their weapons, their cooking utensils and jewellery provide glimpses of what life was like.

Everyday objects

Every available material was put to work. Bone and antler were versatile and widely used - the plastic of prehistory. Skins and woven textiles provided clothes, shoes and horse trappings.

The display also explores how stone was used to make a variety of objects, from tools and weapons to jewellery, as well as for buildings and monuments. 

Pottery and glass

A Generous Land follows the story of how the resources and skills available to early people had an impact on eating, drinking, working and living.

As people began to settle and farm the land, they developed skills in making pottery and gradually Scotland’s inhabitants began working with metal and glass.

Things to see

In A Generous Land you'll find all kinds of domestic objects, from practical tools and clothing to decorative arts, including objects found in Skara Brae, the neolithic group of houses in Orkney. Fragments of a bow made from Irish yew form one of the oldest exhibits, dating from 6000 BC, while a remarkably intact woollen hood shows how people dressed over 1,200 years ago.