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The Picts

Min Bannister said:
It is wonderful but nothing to do with the Picts! Unless this warrior went on his holidays to Yorkshire when he died.
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You are of course correct.

However...

"Pict" was a name given to them by the Romans. The Picts did not call themselves Picts — any more than the Eskimos called themselves Eskimos, or the "red Indians" called themselves either red or Indian. The Romans used the name, Picti, for Celtic speaking peoples north of the Forth and the Clyde.

Similarly, the term, Celtic, remains a moveable feast, being used at various times to link different tribes based on our perception of what they shared culturally and linguistically.

So, although a Roman commentator would have said that someone was Pictish if north of the McMason McDixon line, and Celtic if from "south of the border, down Mexborough way," the two groups may (or may not) have felt they had a lot in common.
 
Mikefule said:
The Picts did not call themselves Picts — any more than the Eskimos called themselves Eskimos, or the "red Indians" called themselves either red or Indian. The Romans used the name, Picti, for Celtic speaking peoples north of the Forth and the Clyde.
Click to expand...

That was rather patronising. The fact is, it is what we call them too and what this thread is called. :dunno:
 
Prudent Prosperous Picts Padlocked Property.

A Pictish settlement in Perthshire has revealed a community of mysterious people who were well-off and used padlocks to protect their valuables.

It had been assumed that the Picts were low-status people living on land of little value, but the remains of three turf, timber and thatch Pitcarmick longhouses at Lair in Glen Shee show that, from the late 6th century to the mid-9th century, they were home to a prosperous farming community.

David Strachan, director of the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, which led the project, said the five-year study had revealed new details about the lives of ordinary Picts.

“Our picture of the Picts has broadly focused on material finds, high-status sites and the Pictish carved stones,” he told The Scotsman. “What we have got here is a picture of the everyday, of the upland farmers and how they lived. That is really what is so fascinating. We are beginning to get a new picture of the Picts as a stratified society.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...eal-the-secrets-of-prosperous-picts-s3q3sm3dv
 
Pictish 'power centre' uncovered near Dunkeld

Source: BBC Scotland News
Date: 13 February, 2020

A hilltop fort near Dunkeld was an important Pictish power centre, say archaeologists who excavated the site.

Evidence of metal and textile production were revealed at King's Seat Hillfort, a legally protected site.

Finds such as glass beads and pottery suggested the Picts who occupied the site in the 7th to 9th centuries had trade links with continental Europe.

Other finds included pieces of Roman glass that were recycled and reused as gaming pieces.

In a new report on last year's excavations, archaeologists said the wealth of finds suggested the site had been a stronghold of the elite in the local population, with "influence over the trade and production of high-status goods".

Fragments of pottery - of the kind made in continental Europe - and Anglo-Saxon glass beads suggested the Picts were trading far afield.

As well as evidence of metal-working, spindle whorls used in textile production were found.

https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampprojec...errer=https://www.google.com&amp_tf=From %1$s
 
Secrets of ancient warrior society revealed after stone found during roadworks

Source: Independent
Date: 19 February, 2020

A Pictish stone discovered by road workers has helped archaeologists shed light on Scotland's ancient warriors.

The monolith, nearly two metres tall, depicts a male figure carrying a spear and was found during ground clearance work for the A9 and A85 in Perth.

Archaeologists have spent months clarifying and analysing images and believe it could be a sacred icon from a “cemetery of the elite” in Pictish times.

Researchers said the “significant find”, named the Tulloch Stone, could indicate the existence of a warrior-led society, key to repelling the invading Romans.

When the stone was found near McDiarmid Park in 2017, the outline of the figure could be seen but the carving was faint in places and the surface damaged.

University of Aberdeen archaeologists created 3D images from thousands of photographs, clarifying the design to enable comparison with other ancient monoliths.

The university's head of archaeology, professor Gordon Noble, said: “On the Tulloch Stone we can now see that the man is carrying a distinctive doorknob-butted spear, which we know from previous research was in use from the third to the sixth century.

“He also has a very distinctive hairstyle, is wearing a helmet and necklace, and has a faint line around the left ankle which could suggest footwear or tight leggings.

“In line with the other stones, this is clearly a depiction of a warrior.”

He added: “Its find spot overlooks the coming together of the rivers Tay and Almond, a junction marked by a Roman fort and later a possible Pictish royal centre, suggesting the monolith might have been located in a cemetery of the elite.

“Because the presentation of the figures is standardised across all of the stones, it is likely that it represents a generic sacred image, rather than it being a depiction of someone buried there.”

[...]

Mark Hall, archaeological curator at Perth Museum, praised the workers who made the discovery.

He said: “The workmen who scooped up this stone did well to realise that there was something on it and to alert the appropriate authorities.”

Mr Hall said it indicates the existence of a warlord or warrior ethos for which there was previously little evidence in Scotland.

https://www-independent-co-uk.cdn.a...3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s
 
Images of a Pictish warrior on a two-metre high monolith uncovered close to a Perth football ground have been recreated by archaeologists.

The stone, depicting a male figure carrying a spear, was found during construction of a road near McDiarmid Park in 2017.

An Aberdeen University team has now clarified the carving using 3D imaging.

They said the monolith, known as the Tulloch Stone, was a "significant find."

The stone will undergo further research and preservation before going on display at a new museum in Perth in 2022.

The research team said similarities between the stone and two others found at Rhynie in Aberdeenshire and Newton of Collessie in Fife are "filling the gaps" of Scotland's undocumented history.


https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-51530923
 
Human remains at ancient Pictish cemetery on Orkney exposed by storms

Source: archaeology-world.com
Date: 8 March, 2020

Archeologists are facing a race against time to excavate and conserve a large Pictish cemetery – after storms damaged the site revealing human remains.

In Newark, Orkney, the coastline has been severely affected by recent storms and waves. The ground, which is formed of soft boulder clay, is prone to landslides as it holds on to high volumes of rainwater, according to experts.

Volunteers are working to secure the cemetery site, which is currently being protected by sandbags, as quickly as possible. It is believed the cemetery could hold invaluable information about the little-understood transition between the Pictish era and the arrival of Vikings on Orkney.

Human remains that have fallen onto the beach will be collected and moved for safekeeping. Bones exposed in the boulder clay will remain in place until a full excavation can get underway, allowing archaeologists to get a full picture of the burial rituals carried out there.

Pete Higgins, senior project manager at Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) said the site would be lost ‘within a few short years to the sea’ without work to upkeep it.

https://www.archaeology-world.com/h...pictish-cemetery-on-orkney-exposed-by-storms/
 
DNA analysis sheds light on whalebone use in Iron Age Orkney

Date: 4 May, 2020

Recent DNA analysis of whalebone artefacts found at The Cairns, Orkney, has shed light on the relationship between these marine mammals and the site’s Iron Age community, as well as hinting why the large local broch may have been demolished in the 2nd century AD.

Excavations at The Cairns, near Winwick Bay on South Ronaldsay, Orkney, have been carried out by the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) since 2006. These investigations have uncovered the remains of an Iron Age stone tower, or broch, which was deliberately dismantled (see CA 275) as well as later Iron Age structures.

The site has also yielded a variety of artefacts, more than 30 of which were made of whalebone – this included a large vessel that had been carved from a whale vertebra (see CA 323), found just outside the broch’s entrance and containing the lower jawbone of an older man who died c.AD 120–240.

[...]

https://www.archaeology.co.uk/artic...light-on-whalebone-use-in-iron-age-orkney.htm
 
Scotland: 'Mind-blowing' ancient settlement found on hilltop

Archaeologists say up to 4,000 people may have lived in huts near the village of Rhynie in the fifth to sixth century.

Source: Sky News
Date: 14 May, 2020

Archaeologists say up to 4,000 people may have lived in huts near the village of Rhynie in the fifth to sixth century.

A hillfort overlooking a small village has been revealed as one of the largest ancient settlements ever discovered in Scotland.

Up to 4,000 people may have lived in more than 800 huts on the Tap O' Noth, close to the village of Rhynie in the fifth to sixth century.

The Aberdeenshire settlement may, in fact, date back as far as the third century, meaning it is likely to be Pictish in origin.

The Picts were a collection of Celtic-speaking communities who lived in the east and north of Scotland during the Late British Iron Age and Early Medieval periods.

It was previously thought that settlements of that size did not appear until about the 12th century.

At its height, it may have rivalled the largest known post-Roman settlements in Europe.

Archaeologists from the University of. Aberdeen used radiocarbon dating to establish timeframes.

[...]

Professor Gordon Noble, who led the research, said the discovery was "truly mind-blowing", adding that it "shakes the narrative of this whole time period".

https://news.sky.com/story/scotland-mind-blowing-ancient-settlement-found-on-hilltop-11988414


This is quite staggering news - a pictish community of up to 4,000!!!
 
Comfortably Numb said:
Human remains at ancient Pictish cemetery on Orkney exposed by storms

Source: archaeology-world.com
Date: 8 March, 2020

Archeologists are facing a race against time to excavate and conserve a large Pictish cemetery – after storms damaged the site revealing human remains.

In Newark, Orkney, the coastline has been severely affected by recent storms and waves. The ground, which is formed of soft boulder clay, is prone to landslides as it holds on to high volumes of rainwater, according to experts.

Volunteers are working to secure the cemetery site, which is currently being protected by sandbags, as quickly as possible. It is believed the cemetery could hold invaluable information about the little-understood transition between the Pictish era and the arrival of Vikings on Orkney.

Human remains that have fallen onto the beach will be collected and moved for safekeeping. Bones exposed in the boulder clay will remain in place until a full excavation can get underway, allowing archaeologists to get a full picture of the burial rituals carried out there.

Pete Higgins, senior project manager at Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) said the site would be lost ‘within a few short years to the sea’ without work to upkeep it.

https://www.archaeology-world.com/h...pictish-cemetery-on-orkney-exposed-by-storms/
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Picts from Orkney prefer to be referred to as "Orks."
 
Dún Nechtain: a battle where not so many Angles made it homeward to think again. Some interesting background details regarding the Picts.

Dún Nechtain: The Celtic Victory that Shaped Scotland​


From its beginnings the island known today as Great Britain has been the target of successive invaders. Before the Normans invaded in 1066, parts of the British Isles had been ravaged by Scandinavian raiders known as the Danes, Norsemen or Vikings. Before those raiders came Germanic invaders—mainly the Saxons, Angles and Jutes—and before them landed the legions of the Roman empire.

There to meet each of these onslaughts was an ancient tribal people known today as the Celtic Britons, among the fiercest of whom were the Picts. In the second century the latter faced down the Romans, forcing the legions to stop short of what would become Scotland and build the defensive Hadrian’s Wall, spanning the width of the island from the North Sea to the Irish Sea. Half a millennium later the Picts clashed with Angles at the 685 Battle of Dún Nechtain, an engagement some historians believe forged the roots of present-day Scotland.

The Picts inhabited the north and east of what today is Scotland. While much of their history went unrecorded, many historians suggest they were not a homogenous people, but a confederation of Celtic tribes that banded together only when threatened by a common enemy. In most cases those enemies were carrying both crosses and swords.

The Romans called these ferocious northern Britons “Picts,” from the Latin picti (“painted”), a possible reference to the tattoos worn by warriors the legions encountered. Unfortunately, there is no record of what they called themselves. Germanic invaders used the term “Pict” as a pejorative to describe any of the various clans north of the Forth–Clyde isthmus. Thrown into direct contact with the hostile clans were the Angles of Northumbria, a kingdom spanning present-day northeast England and southeast Scotland. ...

https://www.historynet.com/dun-nechtain-the-celtic-victory-that-shaped-scotland.htm
 
Happy Birthday to Hadrian's Wall.

Hundreds of events and activities are set to mark the 1,900th anniversary of the building of Hadrian's Wall.

The 73-mile (118km) structure from Tyneside to the Solway Firth, the northern boundary of the Roman empire, was constructed between 122 and 130 AD.

A festival will run from 24 January 2022, Emperor Hadrian's birthday, until 23 December, the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia.

Ideas are being sought for a temporary art installation on the nearby land.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-59124129
 
A rare Pictish symbol stone has been discovered in remarkably good condition near Forfar.
Rare Pictish stone found close to 'site of ancient battle' that led to creation of Scotland

A rare Pictish symbol stone has been found in a “truly remarkable” discovery close to where a battle crucial to the formation of Scotland is thought to have been fought. ...

The stone was found in a field at Aberlemno near Forfar, an area already well known for its Pictish heritage and a stunning collection of unique standing stones.

The most famous Aberlemno stone is believed to depict scenes from the 7th Century Battle of Nechtansmere, which ended in Pictsh ruler King Bridei Mac Bili defeating Anglo Saxon King Ecgfrith in a victory that halted the expansion of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to the north. ...

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Now, further evidence of the area’s importance during the Pictish period has been found with the discovery of a symbol stone in a farmer’s field, a few miles away from the likely battle site. ...

The stone, which is thought to date to the 5th or 6th Century and is one of only 200 known, has now been painstakingly excavated with further analysis due. ...

The stone appears to be intricately carved with classic abstract Pictish symbols including triple ovals, a comb and mirror, a crescent and V rod and double discs.

It was built into the paving of a “huge” 11th or 12 Century building, where examples of Bronze Age rock art were also found. The building also seems to lie directly on top of another settlement, parts of which are believed to date to the Pictish period. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-a...le-site-in-truly-remarkable-discovery-3600094
 
Another rare Pictish symbol stone, with an Ogham inscription, has been discovered in a Scotland cemetery.
Rare medieval script discovered on stone carved by Scotland's 'Painted People'

Archaeologists and volunteers have discovered a stone bearing a mysterious inscription and carved birds that the Picts of Scotland crafted more than a millennium ago. The cross slab, found in a small cemetery last month, dates to between A.D. 500 and 700, and sheds new light on the historic interaction between heritage and faith in the northern U.K.

The Picts, or "Painted People," were so-named by Roman historians because of their supposed war paint and tattoos ("picti," is the Latin word for "paint"). They lived in northern and eastern Scotland in the early medieval period. Likely descended from Celtic tribes, the Picts are famous for successfully resisting Roman conquest. ...

But the newly uncovered cross slab, found in the Old Kilmadock cemetery near Doune, Scotland, a region that was historically a buffer zone between the Picts and the Romans, and later the Britons, complicates that tidy history. "The cross slab is the first one in this region, and may mean that the residents started to think of themselves as Picts," Stirling Council archaeologist Murray Cook ... , who led the recent excavation, told Live Science ...

Carved stones from early medieval Scotland are relatively common, but the newly discovered one from the Old Kilmadock cemetery, which has yet to be fully excavated, has three intriguing features: a rounded top, animal figural decorations and an inscription written in a medieval alphabet called ogham.

At 47 inches (119 centimeters) high and 32 inches (82 cm) wide, the Old Kilmadock stone is similar in size and shape to a large grave marker. Experts, however, think that they may have served multiple functions.

Kelly Kilpatrick (opens in new tab), a historian and Celticist at the University of Glasgow, told Live Science in an email that cross slabs "could be grave markers, and used to communicate Christian messages to a lay audience through imagery. Sometimes you find iconography from native Pictish religion intermixed with Christian iconography on these types of monuments." But its rounded top and circular, knotted cross make the Old Kilmadock stone a rare type of Pictish cross slab.

"The tips of the scrolls end with bird heads; they might be pelicans, as there is a tradition of the pelican biting its own flesh to feed to its young, echoing Christ and the Last Supper, which becomes the Eucharist," Cook explained. Below that, there is a Pictish style carved four-legged animal that looks like a bull. "The bull might be a symbol of a family, a region, or a god," Cook said.
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FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/pictish-stone-with-medieval-alphabet-scotland
 
The Live Science article concerning the latest stone discovery includes the following summary of the Ogham alphabet.

OghamAlphabet-2211.jpg

SOURCE: https://www.livescience.com/pictish-stone-with-medieval-alphabet-scotland
 
ramonmercado said:
Happy Birthday to Hadrian's Wall.

Hundreds of events and activities are set to mark the 1,900th anniversary of the building of Hadrian's Wall.

The 73-mile (118km) structure from Tyneside to the Solway Firth, the northern boundary of the Roman empire, was constructed between 122 and 130 AD.

A festival will run from 24 January 2022, Emperor Hadrian's birthday, until 23 December, the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia.

Ideas are being sought for a temporary art installation on the nearby land.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-59124129
Click to expand...

Sad that this has to be done.

A section of Hadrian's Wall has been repaired after it collapsed under the weight of sightseers.

Steel Rigg in Northumberland was placed on Historic England's At Risk Register when it was damaged by visitors clambering on it to take photos. It was removed from the list after the wall's surface was made more uneven in a bid to deter people walking on it.

Dr Jane Harrison, a community archaeologist, said some changes were made to make it "not so inviting". Dr Harrison, who worked on the project, said part of the ancient wall near the car park had collapsed.

"It's simply weight of interest - people climbing up on it to walk on it, to take those lovely photos and the weight of people has caused it to belly out and collapse," she told BBC Radio Newcastle. "We all used to [do it], I remember doing it, the trouble is now the wall is so popular and that particular stretch has so many visitors that their hopping up on and walking on it is causing it to collapse."

It has been reprofiled in an attempt to "persuade" people not to walk on top of it.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-63580902
 
The once mighty Pictish fort which holds on in the face of destruction - for now
From major fire to demolition and now the threat of coastal erosion, the once mighty Pictish fort at Burghead in Moray has long been under attack.

But a picture of life and times at this elite coastal site overlooking the Moray Firth, where the defensive walls stood at least eight-metres wide in parts, continues to build due to the work of archaeologists at Aberdeen University who have completed their third summer of excavation at the site which is believed to have been a major power centre of the Pictish Kingdom of Fortriu.

Reconstruction1-1024x576.jpeg


Here, Pictish leaders are likely to have gathered while a significant population lived side-by-side with a fleet of vessels possibly harboured in the shallow anchorage below.
With the fort set on fire in the 10th Century, a time of Viking raids along the Moray coast, and the seaward defences later demolished during the construction of Burghead in the early 19th Century to provide stone for the modern harbour – it was long assumed that little archaeological remains of the fort remained.

But with ongoing discoveries of new buildings, metalwork, weaponry and decoration, a picture of a complex settlement at Burghead – an important site between 500 and around 1,000AD - continues to emerge as archaeologists work.

Three new buildings were found at the complex this summer, as well as craftworking areas. The discoveries add to the growing evidence of everyday life at the fort, which was once decorated with the Burghead Bulls, around 25 carved stones which were discovered during the 19th Century destruction of the fort. Some believe the stones may have lined a processional route into the heart of the complex and others believe they may have been linked to a fertility cult. Today, only six of the stones survive and are split between Edinburgh, Elgin and London.

https://apple.news/AYAvm1wWWQn6_sOFkf_DLnQ

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burghead_Fort

maximus otter
 
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