THE skull of a teenage girl who died about 2500 years ago has been dug up at the world’s oldest golf course.
The grisly find was uncovered on Tuesday at Musselburgh Links by greenkeepers excavating the grass lip of a bunker near the green of the fourth hole.
It was initially thought the skull was about 100 years old but archaeologists discovered it dated from the Iron Age – about 500BC.
It has been sent to Dundee University’s forensic anthropology department for further examination. Experts now hope to dig up the rest of the girl’s skeleton. The nine-hole Old Golf Course, is owned by East Lothian Council.
A council spokeswoman said yesterday: “On discovery, the police were contacted so that they could determine if this was ancient or related to something more recent.”
The course is recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest in the world, dating back officially to 1672 but Mary, Queen of Scots is believed to have played the links in 1567.
It is not the first time Musselburgh Links has been associated with old bones.
The course’s second hole is named The Graves because it is believed to be a burial ground for soldiers who died at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh between the armies of Scotland and England in 1547.
Police said the matter was being investigated and the remains were to be sent for analysis