London ( CNN ) -- British archaeologists have discovered the 1,000-year-old boat burial of a Viking warrior in the Scottish Highlands . The man was laid to rest inside his boat , surrounded by valuable items including an ornately-decorated sword , a shield , a spear and an ax -- all of which suggest he was of high status . Experts say the find -- the first fully intact grave of its kind on the UK mainland -- may be part of one of the country 's most significant Viking sites . `` A Viking boat burial is an incredible discovery , '' said project co-director and archaeologist Dr Hannah Cobb , from the University of Manchester . `` But in addition to that , the artifacts and preservation make this one of the most important Norse graves ever excavated in Britain . '' Archaeologists from several universities have spent the past six years carrying out digs at a number sites on the remote Ardnamurchan Peninsula , on Scotland 's west coast . They are aiming to trace the whole history of the area , from the first traces of human habitation 6,000 years ago to the present . Previous excavations nearby have uncovered a Neolithic tomb , a Bronze Age monument , and a 19th century site linked to the Highland Clearances . But Dr Oliver Harris of the University of Leicester , one of the project 's leaders , said the boat burial was `` the best of the bunch . '' `` It 's absolutely fantastic -- the find of a lifetime , '' he told CNN . `` It is very rich , very old , the sort of thing I dreamed of excavating as a boy . '' Other grave goods found with the Viking included a knife , flints , a bronze ring pin from Ireland , a whetstone from Norway , and items of pottery from the Hebrides . The team also excavated hundreds of metal rivets , which would have held together the Viking 's boat -- the wood of which had rotted away over the centuries . Harris said the objects gave tantalizing clues to the identity of the man buried at Ardnamurchan . `` Of course , we will never know his name , or anything like that , but we can tell he was an important figure , a man of very high status , and somebody with international connections , links to lots of different places , but also to the local area , '' he said . The archaeologist said he and the rest of the team planned to return to the site again next summer to carry out further investigations . `` This was just one burial , but it is part of a much larger story , '' he said . `` There are many more questions to answer . We want to find out if there are others , or if people were living in settlements nearby , so we will be back there next year . ''
Viking boat burial found at Ardnamurchan in the Scottish Highlands . Experts say Viking of high status was laid to rest inside boat , with belongings around him . Ornate sword , shield , spear and pin found alongside body in five-meter-long grave . Discovery hailed as `` one of the most important Norse graves in Britain ''