Lloyd Laing (archaeologist)

Last updated

Lloyd Laing (born 1944, Lanark, Scotland) is an archaeologist and ancient art historian specializing in early medieval Britain and Ireland, coins and ceramics. Solely or jointly he has published over 30 books and 60 papers, as well as many contributions to encyclopedias and magazines. He has directed many excavations in different parts of Britain. His wife Jennifer Laing is also an archaeologist. [1]

He studied prehistoric archaeology and fine art at Edinburgh University, before becoming assistant inspector of ancient monuments for Scotland, from 1966 to 1969. [2] He was senior lecturer at University of Liverpool then University of Nottingham, where he was later associate professor. [3]

Publications

BOOKS

Published as sole author

1. European Influence on Celtic Art: Artists and Patrons, Four Courts Press, Dublin, 248 pp, (2010).

2. The Archaeology of Celtic Britain and Ireland, c. 400-1200 AD, Cambridge University Press, 406 pp, (2006).

3. Pottery in Britain 4000 BC to AD 1900, Greenlight Publishing, Witham, 133 pp, (2003).

4. Later Celtic Art in Britain and Ireland, Shire Books, Aylesbury, 64 pp, 44 plates (1997, 2nd rev. ed.,1st pub 1987).

5. Celtic Britain, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, & Scribners, New York. Also-Granada, London, ( PaIadin paperback), 197 pp, (1979)

6. Ancient Scotland, David & Charles, Newton Abbot & David & Charles Holdings, North Pomfret, VT., 144 pp. 12 figs, 13 Plates, (1976).

7. Archaeology of Late Celtic Britain and Ireland, c.400 - 1200 AD, Methuen & Co (Handbooks of Archaeology) London & Harper & Row, New York, 451 pp, 155 figs, 32 Pls, (1975).

8. Orkney and Shetland, an Archaeological Guide, David & Charles, Newton Abbot & David & Charles Holdings, North Pomfret, VT., 263 pp,72 figs, 16 pls, (1974).

9. Coins and Archaeology, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, & Shocken, New York, 336 pp, 28 pls, 44 figs, 16 maps, (1969).

As Joint author

1. Early English Art and Architecture, Alan Sutton, Stroud, 246 pp, illus, (1996). Co-author J Laing.

2. Medieval Britain: The Age of Chivalry, Herbert Press, London & St Martin's Press, New York, (1995), 224 pp, illus (rev. eds.1998). Co-author J Laing.

3. Britain's European Heritage, Alan Sutton, Stroud, 190 pp, 14 pls., 17 figs, (1995). Co-author J Laing.

4. Celtic Britain and Ireland. Art and Society, Herbert Press, London, 224 pp. illus, (1995). Co-author J Laing.

5. The Picts and the Scots, Alan Sutton, Stroud, 172 pp, 136 illus., (1993, rev.ed. 2001). Co-author J Laing.

6. Ancient Art. The challenge to Modern Thought, Irish Academic Press, Dublin, St Martin's Press, New York, 270 pp., (1993). Co-author J Laing.

7. Art of the Celts, Thames & Hudson, London, 216 pp.,.(1992). Co-author J Laing.

8. Celtic Britain and Ireland. c.200-800 AD, Irish Academic Press, Dublin, and St Martin's Press, New York, 263 pp, (1990). Co-author J Laing.

9. Dark Age Remains in Britain, London, Constable & Co, 318 pp, 96 plates, (1979). Co-author J Laing.

10. Origins of Britain, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London & Scribners, New York, 107 pp, 110 plates, Also London, (1980) & Granada (Paladin paperbacks),(1982).Co-author J Laing.

11. Anglo-Saxon England, Routledge & Kegan Paul,London & Scribners, New York,(1979), 195 pp, 111 plates. Also London, Granada (Paladin paperbacks), (1982). Co-author J Laing.

MONOGRAPHS

1. The Mote of Mark, a Dark Age Citadel in South-West Scotland, Oxford, Oxbow, 189 pp, (2006). Co-author D Longley.

2. A Catalogue of Celtic Ornamental Metalwork in the British Isles. c.400 -1200 AD, Oxford & Nottingham, Tempus Reparatvm (BAR Brit Ser 229), 120 pp' (1991).

3. The Dark Ages of West Cheshire, Chester, Cheshire County Council Monographs, 6 (1985), 67 pp, Co-author J Laing.

4. Excavations at Hest Bank, Lancashire, LiverpoolUniversity, Dept of History pubs. (1984), 12 pp.

5. Studies in Celtic Survival, (as Editor), Oxford, British Archaeological reports 37, (1977), 123 pp

6. Settlement Types in Post-Roman Scotland, Oxford, British Archaeological Reports 13, (1975), 46 pp.

7. Some Iron Age Mediterranean Imports in England, Oxford, British Archaeological Reports 5, 39 pp, Co-author P Harbison.

8. Distribution of Terra Nigra in Britain, Southampton, City Museum Pubs 6, (with G Rogers), (1966), 48 pp.

Related Research Articles

Celts Ethnolinguistic group

The Celts or Celtic peoples are a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia, identified by their use of Celtic languages and other cultural similarities. Historical Celtic groups included the Gauls, Celtiberians, Gallaeci, Galatians, Lepontii, Britons, Gaels, and their offshoots. The relation between ethnicity, language and culture in the Celtic world is unclear and debated; for example over the ways in which the Iron Age people of Britain and Ireland should be called Celts. In current scholarship, 'Celt' primarily refers to 'speakers of Celtic languages' rather than to a single ethnic group.

Picts Ancient and medieval tribal confederation in northern Britain

The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from early medieval texts and Pictish stones. Their Latin name, Picti, appears in written records from the 3rd to the 10th century. Early medieval sources report the existence of a distinct Pictish language, which today is believed to have been an Insular Celtic language, closely related to the Brittonic spoken by the Britons who lived to the south.

Torc Rigid, usually twisted ring worn around the neck or arm, often of precious metal

A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few had mortice and tenon locking catches to close them. Many seem designed for near-permanent wear and would have been difficult to remove. Torcs are found in the Scythian, Illyrian, Thracian, Celtic, and other cultures of the European Iron Age from around the 8th century BC to the 3rd century AD. For the Iron Age Celts, the gold torc seems to have been a key object. It identifies the wearer as a person of high rank, and many of the finest works of ancient Celtic art are torcs. The Celtic torc disappears in the Migration Period, but during the Viking Age torc-style metal necklaces, now mainly in silver, came back into fashion. Torc styles of neck-ring are found as part of the jewellery styles of various other cultures and periods.

Maeatae

The Maeatae were a confederation of tribes that probably lived beyond the Antonine Wall in Roman Britain.

Malcolm Laing

Malcolm Laing was a Scottish historian, advocate and politician.

The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, which had an independent Iron Age culture of its own. The parallel phase of Irish archaeology is termed the Irish Iron Age. The Iron Age is not an archaeological horizon of common artefacts, but is rather a locally diverse cultural phase.

Culture of Scotland Overview of the culture of Scotland

The culture of Scotland refers to the patterns of human activity and symbolism associated with Scotland and the Scottish people. The Scottish flag is blue with a white saltire, and represents the cross of Saint Andrew.

Celtic art Art associated with Celtic peoples

Celtic art is associated with the peoples known as Celts; those who spoke the Celtic languages in Europe from pre-history through to the modern period, as well as the art of ancient peoples whose language is uncertain, but have cultural and stylistic similarities with speakers of Celtic languages.

Ancient Celtic religion Religion practised by ancient Celtic people

Ancient Celtic religion, commonly known as Celtic paganism, was the religion of the ancient Celtic peoples of Europe. Because the ancient Celts did not have writing, evidence about their religion is gleaned from archaeology, Greco-Roman accounts, and literature from the early Christian period. Celtic paganism was one of a larger group of Iron Age polytheistic religions of Europe. It varied by region and over time, but underlying this were "broad structural similarities" and "a basic religious homogeneity" among the Celtic peoples.

Celtic Britons Ancient Celtic people of Great Britain

The Britons, also known as Celtic Britons or Ancient Britons were the Celtic people who inhabited Great Britain from at least the British Iron Age and into the Middle Ages, at which point they diverged into the Welsh, Cornish and Bretons. They spoke the Common Brittonic language, the ancestor of the modern Brittonic languages.

Scottish art Visual art made in what is now Scotland, or about Scottish subjects, since prehistoric times

Scottish art is the body of visual art made in what is now Scotland, or about Scottish subjects, since prehistoric times. It forms a distinctive tradition within European art, but the political union with England has led its partial subsumation in British art.

Wales in the Roman era Aspect of Welsh history

The Roman era in the area of modern Wales began in 48 AD, with a military invasion by the imperial governor of Roman Britain. The conquest was completed by 78 AD, and Roman rule endured until the region was abandoned in 383 AD.

Scotland in the Early Middle Ages Overview of Scotland in the Early Middle Ages

Scotland was divided into a series of kingdoms in the early Middle Ages, i.e. between the end of Roman authority in southern and central Britain from around 400 CE and the rise of the kingdom of Alba in 900 CE. Of these, the four most important to emerge were the Picts, the Gaels of Dál Riata, the Britons of Alt Clut, and the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia. After the arrival of the Vikings in the late 8th century, Scandinavian rulers and colonies were established on the islands and along parts of the coasts. In the 9th century, the House of Alpin combined the lands of the Scots and Picts to form a single kingdom which constituted the basis of the kingdom of Scotland.

Rhind Lectures are a series of lectures on archaeological topics. They have been hosted by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland since 1874. The content of the lectures is usually published in journals or expanded into new works by their authors.

Torrs Pony-cap and Horns Iron Age bronze artifact found in Scotland

The Torrs Horns and Torrs Pony-cap are Iron Age bronze pieces now in the National Museum of Scotland, which were found together, but whose relationship is one of many questions about these "famous and controversial" objects that continue to be debated by scholars. Most scholars agree that horns were added to the pony-cap at a later date, but whether they were originally made for this purpose is unclear; one theory sees them as mounts for drinking-horns, either totally or initially unconnected to the cap. The three pieces are decorated in a late stage of La Tène style, as Iron Age Celtic art is called by archaeologists. The dates ascribed to the elements vary, but are typically around 200 BC; it is generally agreed that the horns are somewhat later than the cap, and in a rather different style.

Art in Medieval Scotland

Art in Medieval Scotland includes all forms of artistic production within the modern borders of Scotland, between the fifth century and the adoption of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. In the early Middle Ages, there were distinct material cultures evident in the different federations and kingdoms within what is now Scotland. Pictish art was the only uniquely Scottish Medieval style; it can be seen in the extensive survival of carved stones, particularly in the north and east of the country, which hold a variety of recurring images and patterns. It can also be seen in elaborate metal work that largely survives in buried hoards. Irish-Scots art from the kingdom of Dál Riata suggests that it was one of the places, as a crossroads between cultures, where the Insular style developed.

Hillforts in Scotland Earthworks on hilltops

Hillforts in Scotland are earthworks, sometimes with wooden or stone enclosures, built on higher ground, which usually include a significant settlement, built within the modern boundaries of Scotland. They were first studied in the eighteenth century and the first serious field research was undertaken in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century there were large numbers of archaeological investigations of specific sites, with an emphasis on establishing a chronology of the forts. Forts have been classified by type and their military and ritual functions have been debated.

Prehistoric art in Scotland Overview and examples of prehistoric art in Scotland

Prehistoric art in Scotland is visual art created or found within the modern borders of Scotland, before the departure of the Romans from southern and central Britain in the early fifth century CE, which is usually seen as the beginning of the early historic or Medieval era. There is no clear definition of prehistoric art among scholars and objects that may involve creativity often lack a context that would allow them to be understood.

Christianisation of Scotland Historical process bringing Christianity to Scotland

The Christianisation of Scotland was the process by which Christianity spread in what is now Scotland, which took place principally between the fifth and tenth centuries.

Bibliography of Welsh history Published works on the history of Wales

This is a bibliography of published works on the history of Wales. It includes published books, journals, and educational and academic history-related websites; it does not include self-published works, blogs or user-edited sites. Works may cover aspects of Welsh history inclusively or exclusively.

References

  1. Current Archaeology - Issues 181-192 - Page 312 2002 "Lloyd Laing is an exception. The book is exactly what its title implies: a complete introduction to the whole British ceramic sequence. With numerous line drawings and top—quality colour pictures of potsherds (by archaeologist wife Jenny), it is ..."
  2. Lloyd Laing Later Celtic Art 1987 - Page 58 "He was born in Scotland, where he studied prehistoric archaeology and fine art at Edinburgh University, before becoming assistant inspector of ancient monuments for Scotland, a post he held from 1966 to 1969."
  3. Archaeology research projects - The University of Nottingham