Pictish stone

Last updated

The Class II Kirkyard Stone c800AD, in Aberlemno parish. Aberlemnokirkyardcropped.jpg
The Class II Kirkyard Stone c800AD, in Aberlemno parish.

A Pictish stone is a type of monumental stele, generally carved or incised with symbols or designs. A few have ogham inscriptions. Located in Scotland, mostly north of the Clyde-Forth line and on the Eastern side of the country, these stones are the most visible remaining evidence of the Picts and are thought to date from the 6th to 9th century, a period during which the Picts became Christianized. The earlier stones have no parallels from the rest of the British Isles, but the later forms are variations within a wider Insular tradition of monumental stones such as high crosses. About 350 objects classified as Pictish stones have survived, the earlier examples of which holding by far the greatest number of surviving examples of the mysterious symbols, which have long intrigued scholars. [1]

Contents

Classification

East face of Class II Maiden Stone Maidenstoneeast.jpg
East face of Class II Maiden Stone

In The Early Christian Monuments of Scotland (1903) J Romilly Allen and Joseph Anderson first classified Pictish stones into three groups. [2] Critics have noted weaknesses in this system but it is widely known and still used in the field. In particular, the classification may be misleading for the many incomplete stones. Allen and Anderson regarded their classes as coming from distinct periods in sequence, but it is now clear that there was a considerable period when both Class I and II stones were being produced. [3]

Later Scottish stones merge into wider medieval British and European traditions.

Purpose and meaning

The Class I Dunnichen Stone, with Pictish symbols including the "double disc and Z-rod" at centre, and "mirror and comb" at the bottom. DunnichenMeffan.jpg
The Class I Dunnichen Stone, with Pictish symbols including the "double disc and Z-rod" at centre, and "mirror and comb" at the bottom.

The purpose and meaning of the stones are only slightly understood, and the various theories proposed for the early Class I symbol stones, those that are considered to mostly pre-date the spread of Christianity to the Picts, are essentially speculative.

Many later Christian stones from Class II and Class III fall more easily into recognisable categories such as gravestones. The earlier symbol stones may have served as personal memorials or territorial markers, with symbols for individual names, clans, lineages or kindreds, although there are several other theories, and proposed explanations of the meanings of the symbols.

Standard ideograms

Aberlemno 1; Class I Serpent stone.JPG
Aberlemno 1; Class I

Class I and II stones contain symbols from a recognisable set of standard ideograms, many unique to Pictish art, which are known as the Pictish symbols. The exact number of distinct Pictish symbols is uncertain, as there is some debate as to what constitutes a Pictish symbol, and whether some varied forms should be counted together or separately. The more inclusive estimates are in excess of sixty different symbols, but a more typical estimate is "around thirty", [4] or "around forty" according to Historic Scotland. [1]

These include geometric symbols, which have been assigned descriptive names by researchers such as:

and outline representations of animals such as:

Some are representations of everyday objects, such as the "mirror and comb", which could have been used by high-status Picts. The symbols are almost always arranged in pairs or sets of pairs, often with the object type, such as the mirror and comb, below the others, and the animals are generally found only in combination with the abstract types. [1] Hence some think they could represent names, lineage, or kinships, such as the clans of two parents, analogous to the Japanese mon. According to Anthony Jackson the symbol pairs represent matrilineal marriage alliances. [6]

Finds and associations

A small number of Pictish stones have been found associated with burials, but most are not in their original locations. Some later stones may also have marked tribal or lineage territories. Some were re-used for other purposes, such as the two Congash Stones near Grantown-on-Spey, now placed as portal stones for an old graveyard. The shaft of an old cross is lying in the field.

Another Pictish stone, the Dunachton Stone near Kincraig, was later used as a door lintel in a barn. This was discovered when the building was dismantled in 1870. The stone was re-erected in the field. Recently it fell, after being photographed in 2007, but was re-erected again a few years later by the owner of Dunachton Lodge.

The symbols are found on some of the extremely rare survivals of Pictish jewellery, such as the pair of silver plaques from the Norrie's Law hoard found in Fife in the early 19th century, [7] and the Whitecleuch Chain. [8] [9]

The symbols are also sometimes found on other movable objects like small stone discs and bones mostly from the Northern Isles. Simple or early forms of the symbols are carved on the walls of coastal caves at East Wemyss, Fife and Covesea, Moray. It is therefore thought likely that they were represented in other more perishable forms that have not survived in the archaeological record, perhaps including clothing and tattoos. Some symbols appear across the whole geographical range of the stones while, for example, six stones with the single symbol of a bull found at Burghead Fort suggest that this represented the place itself, or its owners, despite other examples appearing elsewhere. [1]

Exeter analysis

A team from Exeter University, using mathematical analysis, have concluded that the symbols in the Pictish image stones "exhibit the characteristics of written languages" (as opposed to "random or sematographic (heraldic) characters"). [10] [11]

The Exeter analysts' claim has been criticized by linguists Mark Liberman and Richard Sproat on the grounds that the non-uniform distribution of symbols – taken to be evidence of writing – is little different from non-linguistic non-uniform distributions (such as die rolls), and that the Exeter team are using a definition of writing broader than that used by linguists. [12] [13]

To date, even those who propose that the symbols should be considered "writing" from this mathematical approach do not have a suggested decipherment. [14] [15] Although earlier studies based on a contextual approach, postulating the identification of the pagan "pre-Christian Celtic Cult of the Archer Guardian", have suggested possible clausal meanings for symbol pairs. [16] [17]

A selection of the Pictish symbols, showing the variation between individual examples. Each group is classified as a single type by most researchers. Only the geometric and object types are represented here, not the animal group.

Distribution and sites

Distribution of Class I and Class II stones, as well as caves holding Pictish symbol graffiti Pictish Stone distribution.jpg
Distribution of Class I and Class II stones, as well as caves holding Pictish symbol graffiti
The Nigg Stone, 790-799 AD, Class II, shows a Pictish harp, beasts and warriors in a 19th-century illustration, minus the top section. NiggReverse.jpg
The Nigg Stone, 790–799 AD, Class II, shows a Pictish harp, beasts and warriors in a 19th-century illustration, minus the top section.

Only a few stones still stand at their original sites; most have been moved to museums or other protected sites. Some of the more notable individual examples and collections are listed below (Note that listing is no guarantee of unrestricted access, since some lie on private land). Pictish Symbol stones have been found throughout Scotland, although their original locations are concentrated largely in the North East of the country in lowland areas, the Pictish heartland. During the period when the stones were being created, Christianity was spreading through Scotland from the west and the south, through the kingdoms of Dál Riata, which included parts of Ireland, and the extension into modern Scotland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Bernicia and Northumbria.

Areas that show particular concentrations include Strathtay, Strathmore, coastal Angus, Fife, Strathdee, Garioch, Moray, Strathspey, Caithness, Easter Ross, the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. [5]

Three stones with Pictish symbols are known outside areas normally recognised as Pictish: in Dunadd, Argyll; Trusty's Hill in Dumfries and Galloway; and Edinburgh in Lothian. All three are located at major royal power centres. [18]

Two Pictish Class I stones are known to have been removed from Scotland. These are Burghead 5 from Burghead Fort in Moray, showing the figure of a bull, now in the British Museum, and the Crosskirk stone (Caithness), presented to the King of Denmark in the 19th century, but whose location is currently unknown.

Class I

Class II

Class III

Class III Pictish stone in Dunblane Cathedral Pictishstones dunblane.jpg
Class III Pictish stone in Dunblane Cathedral

Collections

The Hilton of Cadboll Stone in the Museum of Scotland. Hilton of Cadboll nms.jpg
The Hilton of Cadboll Stone in the Museum of Scotland.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Dun Nechtain</span> 685 battle between Picts and Northumbrians

The Battle of Dun Nechtain or Battle of Nechtansmere was fought between the Picts, led by King Bridei Mac Bili, and the Northumbrians, led by King Ecgfrith, on 20 May 685.

Glamis is a small village in Angus, Scotland, located 5 miles (8 km) south of Kirriemuir and 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Forfar. It is the location of Glamis Castle, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberlemno</span> Parish and small village in Angus, Scotland

Aberlemno is a parish and small village in the Scottish council area of Angus. It is noted for three large carved Pictish stones dating from the 7th and 8th centuries AD ; the stones can be viewed at any time in spring-autumn, but are covered by wooden boxes in the winter to prevent frost damage. Two stones stand by the B9134 Forfar-Brechin road, the Kirkyard Stone stands in the nearby graveyard of the parish church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigg Stone</span> Pictish symbol stone in Nigg Old Parish Church, Nigg, Highland, Scotland, UK

The Nigg Stone is an incomplete Class II Pictish cross-slab, perhaps dating to the end of the 8th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosemarkie Stone</span>

The Rosemarkie Stone or Rosemarkie Cross, a Class II Pictish stone, is one of the major surviving examples of Pictish art in stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eassie Stone</span>

The Eassie Stone is a Class II Pictish stone of about the mid 8th century AD in the village of Eassie, Angus, Scotland. The stone was found in Eassie burn in the late 18th century and now resides in a purpose-built perspex building in the ruined Eassie church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wester Denoon</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Wester Denoon is a small settlement in Angus, Scotland. Approximately one mile to the north of Wester Denoon is the village of Eassie, where the Eassie Stone is displayed in a ruined church; this carved Pictish stone is dated prior to the Early Middle Ages. Other nearby settlements are Charleston, Balkeerie and Kirkinch. Two fragments of small Pictish cross-slabs have also been found at Wester Denoon itself. One shows the stylised figure of a woman wearing a long dress or mantle fastened on the breast by a large brooch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum</span> Museum in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK

The Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum is a permanent exhibition of 27 carved Pictish stones in the centre of the village of Meigle in eastern Scotland. It lies on the A94 road running from Coupar Angus to Forfar. The museum occupies the former parish school, built 1844. The collection of stones implies that an important church was located nearby, or perhaps a monastery. There is an early historical record of the work of Thana, son of Dudabrach, who was at Meigle in the middle of the 9th century during the reign of King Pherath. Thana was likely to have been a monk serving as a scribe in a local monastery that could have been founded in the 8th century. The stones contained in the museum were all found near Meigle, mostly in the neighbouring churchyard or used in the construction of the old church. The present church building dates to about 1870, the previous building having been destroyed in a fire on 28 March 1869. The stones were rescued by William Galloway immediately after the fire. The stones are Christian monuments to the dead of the Pictish warrior aristocracy, who are depicted on the stones bearing their weapons or hunting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunnichen</span> Village in Angus, Scotland

Dunnichen is a small village in Angus, Scotland, situated between Letham and Forfar. It is close to Dunnichen Hill, at which the Battle of Dun Nechtain is popularly believed to have been fought. The church is part of the parish of Letham, Dunnichen and Kirkden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glamis Manse Stone</span>

The Glamis Manse Stone, also known as Glamis 2, is a Class II Pictish stone at the village of Glamis, Angus, Scotland. Dating from the 9th century, it is located outside the Manse, close to the parish church. It is inscribed on one side with a Celtic cross and on the other with a variety of Pictish symbols. It is a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunnichen Stone</span>

The Dunnichen Stone is a class I Pictish symbol stone that was discovered in 1811 at Dunnichen, Angus. It probably dates to the 7th century AD.

The Aberlemno Sculptured Stones are a series of Pictish standing stones originating in and around the village of Aberlemno, Angus, Scotland. Three are located in the village and a fourth, found in 1962, is on display in The McManus in Dundee. They date from the Early Medieval period. A fifth stone standing in the village has signs of carving, but is of unknown authenticity as a Pictish artefact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double disc (Pictish symbol)</span>

The double disc is a Pictish symbol of unknown meaning that is frequently found on Class I and Class II Pictish stones, as well as on Pictish metalwork. The symbol can be found with and without an overlaid Z-rod, and in combinations of both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodwrae Stone</span>

The Woodwrae Stone is a Class II Pictish Stone that was found in 1819 when the foundations of the old castle at Woodwrae, Angus, Scotland were cleared. It had been reused as a floor slab in the kitchen of the castle. Following its removal from the castle, it was donated to the collection of Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford House. It is now on display at the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Orland's Stone</span> Cross slab in Angus, Scotland, UK

St Orland's Stone is a Class II Pictish Cross-Slab at Cossans, near Kirriemuir and Forfar, Angus, Scotland

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter's Hill Stone</span>

The Hunter's Hill Stone, otherwise known as the Glamis 1 Stone, is a Class II Pictish standing stone at Hunter's Hill to the south east of Glamis village, Angus, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirriemuir sculptured stones</span> Pictish stones discovered in Scotland

The Kirriemuir Sculptured Stones are a series of Class II and III Pictish stones found in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland. Their existence points to Kirriemuir being an important ecclesiastical centre in the late first millennium AD.

The mirror and comb are Pictish symbols of uncertain function, found on Class I and Class II Pictish stones. The mirror, or mirror and comb, do not belong to the body of main Pictish symbols, but are used as modifiers of a symbol pair. The mirror can occur on its own, or with the comb, although the comb never occurs on its own. The mirror, or mirror and comb, occur either below the symbol pair, or beside the lower symbol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eassie Old Church</span> Ruined church and burial ground in Angus, Scotland

Eassie Old Church is a ruined 13th-century parish church located near the village of Eassie in Angus, Scotland. Erected in the corner of the church is the Eassie Stone, a Class II Pictish stone. The cross slab was discovered in 1850 in the nearby burn. The church was abandoned after 1835 when a new church was built in the area to serve the combined parishes of Eassie and Nevay. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1921.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pictish Stones Archived 2012-02-13 at the Wayback Machine , "The Symbols"
  2. Allen, J.R.; Anderson, J. (1903), Early Christian Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh: The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Volumes 1 and 2; Volume 3.
  3. 1 2 Pictish Stones Archived 2012-02-13 at the Wayback Machine , "Types of Stone".
  4. Forsyth, Katherine (1997). Henry, David (ed.). Some thoughts on Pictish Symbols as a formal writing system (PDF). Balgavies, Forfar: Pinkfoot Press. pp. 85–98. ISBN   978-1-874012-16-0 . Retrieved 10 December 2010. Pictish and related studies presented to Isabel Henderson{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. 1 2 Fraser, Iain (2008). The Pictish Symbol Stones of Scotland. Edinburgh: Royal Commission on the Ancienct and Historic Monuments of Scotland.
  6. 1 2 Jackson, Anthony (1984), The Symbol Stones of Scotland, Stromness, Orkney: The Orkney Press
  7. Graham-Campbell, James (1991), "Norrie's Law, Fife: on the nature and dating of the silver hoard" (PDF), Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 121: 241–259, doi:10.9750/PSAS.121.241.260 , retrieved 25 November 2010
  8. Clark, J Gilchrist (1880), "Notes on a Gold Lunette found at Auchentaggart, Dumfriesshire, and a Massive Silver Chain found at Whitecleugh, Lanarkshire, exhibited by His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch" (PDF), Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 14: 222–224, doi:10.9750/PSAS.014.222.224, S2CID   253274529 , retrieved 1 August 2010
  9. Wainwright, F.T. (1955), Wainwright, F.T. (ed.), The Problem of the Picts, Edinburgh and London: Nelson
  10. Ravilious, Kate. "Mathematics of ancient carvings reveals lost language". New Scientist.
  11. Lee, Rob; Jonathan, Philip; Ziman, Pauline (31 March 2010), "Pictish symbols revealed as a written language through application of Shannon entropy" (PDF), Proceedings of the Royal Society.
  12. Liberman, Mark (2 April 2010). "Pictish Writing?" . Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  13. "Ancient symbols, computational linguistics, and the reviewing practices of the general science journals" (PDF). Computational Linguistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  14. See now the recent hypothesis about, based on the Shannon entropy, in: Rob Lee; Philip Jonathan; Pauline Ziman (2010) [published online 31 March 2010]. "Pictish symbols revealed as a written language through application of Shannon entropy" (PDF). Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences., open access; article abstract)
  15. Viegas, J. (31 March 2010). "New Written Language of Ancient Scotland Discovered". News. Discovery.com. Once thought to be rock art, carved depictions of soldiers, horses and other figures are in fact part of a written language dating back to the Iron Age. A new written language, belonging to the early Pict society of Scotland, has just been identified
  16. Griffen, Toby D. (March 2000). "The Pictish Art of the Archer Guardian" (PDF). fanad.net/grifpub.html. St Louis, Missouri: Celtic Studies Association of North America. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  17. Griffen, Toby D. "The Grammar of the Pictish Symbol Stones" (PDF). fanad.net/grifpub.html. St Louis, Missouri: Celtic Studies Association of North America. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  18. Márkus, Gilbert (2017). Conceiving a Nation: Scotland to AD 900. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 82. ISBN   9780748678983.
  19. Ellen MacNamara, The Pictish Stones of Easter Ross, Tain, 2003
  20. Holder, Geoff (2010). The Guide to Mysterious Aberdeen. History Press. ISBN   978-0750959889.
  21. Dougla Scott, The Stones of the Pictish Peninsulas, Hilton Trust, 2004

Sources