London, Nov 23 : Treasure hunters have unearthed the first Roman tombstone in Scotland for more than 170 years, among other rare artifacts that were dug up at the site.

According to a report by BBC News, the red sandstone artifact was found by enthusiast Larney Cavanagh at the edge of a field near Inveresk in Scotland.

The artefact was for a man called Crescens, a bodyguard for the governor who ran the province of Britain for the Roman Emperor.

It forms part of Scotland''s annual Treasure Trove, items found by archaeologists or enthusiasts which have been handed to the Crown Office.

Other pieces include a 5,000-year-old axe head, a Bronze Age sword and mysterious carved stone balls.

Ian Ralston, a professor at Edinburgh University who sits on the Treasure Trove panel, said that some significant archaeological finds had been unearthed in Scotland this year.

"The most outstanding would have to be the Roman tombstone. The inscription suggests it was someone who had a military career, the equivalent of being in the elite guards," he said.

The Treasure Trove panel decides where each item should be placed and how much reward money should be received by the ''treasure hunters''.

The items found between April 2007 and March 2008 were included in The Queen''s and Lord Treasurer''s Remembrancer''s annual report.

The 5,000-year-old farmers axe head was unearthed at Dunragit, Stranraer, but made from stone found in the Lake District.

The Bronze Age sword was found in Lockerbie and the mysterious carved balls were discovered at Pitmilly and Newburgh in Fife.

One of the most important archaeological finds ever brought before the Treasure Trove panel was the Cramond Lioness, which was found in the mud of the River Almond
10 years ago. (ANI)