Scottish colonialism on display

Artefacts discovered by the head of archaeology at Bristol University have gone on display in Panama.

The artefacts were excavated by Dr Mark Horton on the site of Scotland's Darien scheme, a failed attempt to start a colony in the New World in 1698. . .

The Darien scheme was an attempt by an independent Scotland to create a trading post in South America in order to capture the commerce from the East Indies.

The failure of the colony in 1700, and the deaths of an estimated 2,500 of the original 4,000 settlers was a significant factor behind the Act of Union in 1707.

Posted by David on August 28, 2005 6:57 PM