A field in Moray is being investigated as the possible site of a former ancient settlement.
Specialists from Glasgow University started a three-day geophysics study of the field yesterday.
A hoard of Roman coins and brooches, Bronze Age gold-plated ring money, a shield stud, a gold ring and a mediaeval belt buckle are among the relics found at the location in recent years.
National Museums of Scotland curator Dr Fraser Hunter said the specialists would study several acres of land over the weekend. He said: “I hope the results will justify the work that is being done.”
The exact location of the site near Burghead is being kept secret while further investigations are carried out.
The National Museums of Scotland-sponsored study will investigate the internal structure of the field using a technique called geophysics.
The discipline allows archaeologists to discover what lies beneath the soil without the expense and toil of excavating.
Dr Hunter said: “What they are going to do is look at the magnetic content of this soil. This will tell you where people have been burning or throwing away rubbish. It is like an archaeological X-ray.
“It is a way of getting a picture of the soil without having to dig. We want to see if this can tell us if there was an Iron Age settlement similar to something like Birnie.”
Excavations at Moray’s prehistoric settlement site at Birnie, near Elgin, has revealed two separate hoards of Roman coins and an Iron Age pot in the same trench.
This backed up the possibility that they could have been part of an ancient ritual. They were buried during the reign of the Emperor Severus (AD 193-211), who organised the last major Roman invasion of Scotland, and are thought to be bribes from the Romans to persuade local chieftains to keep the peace.
The evidence suggests it was one of the important power settlements in Moray at that time.
Many of the finds are on display in Elgin Museum.