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A food vessel, which is a type of pot from The Bronze Age, has gone on in display at a museum in Fife in eastern Scotland.

The container is 5,000 years old and it was discovered with three ancient coffins, some human remains and a number of objects, including a flint knife and a flint arrowhead. Flint is a type hard grey rock which was used to make weapons.

The items were found when a shop and a hotel were being knocked down more than 40 years ago, on Kirkcaldy High Street.

Marta Innes, who is part of the University of Glasgow archaeology team, said: "It's a rare privilege to reanalyse an ancient object so many years after its discovery.

"We're hopeful this will help us better understand the prehistoric life of the local area."

The Conservation Work

The patterned clay pot, which is 165mm in diameter and 160mm high, was found in several pieces when it was uncovered, so it has been reconstructed by archaeologists.

The specialists protected the vessel using a sticky material that allows the pot to be pulled apart again, if it needs to be.

The pot had to be filled and then re-painted in parts because only 75 percent of the original pot has survived.

The newer parts have been made a different colour to the original so that visitors can tell which bits have been added.

Jane Freel, who manages the collections at the museum on behalf of Fife Council, said: "We're thrilled that visitors can now see this magnificent object for themselves as it offers a fascinating glimpse into Kirkcaldy's distant past."