Picts, Gaels and Scots: Early Historic ScotlandA look at Scotland before it was Scotland, with illustrations and photos included: "An outstanding book." — Current Archaeology Early historic Scotland—from the fifth to the tenth century AD—was home to a variety of diverse peoples and cultures, all competing for land and supremacy. Yet by the eleventh century it had become a single, unified kingdom, known as Alba, under a stable and successful monarchy. How did this happen, and when? At the heart of this mystery lies the extraordinary influence of the Picts and of their neighbors, the Gaels—originally immigrants from Ireland. In this new and revised edition of her acclaimed book, Sally M. Foster establishes the nature of their contribution and, drawing on the latest archaeological evidence and research, highlights numerous themes, including the following: the origins of the Picts and Gaels; the significance of the remarkable Pictish symbols and other early historic sculpture; the art of war and the role of kingship in tribal society; settlement, agriculture, industry and trade; religious beliefs and the impact of Christianity; and how the Picts and Gaels became Scots. |
Contents
The residence of power | |
The currency of authority | |
The strength of belief | |
From wandering thieves to lords of | |
The emergence of the Scottish nation | |
Glossary | |
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Common terms and phrases
1st millennium 9th century Aberdeenshire activities Adomnán agricultural Alba and/or appear archaeological Argyll artefacts associated authority Britain British brooch Broun buildings Buiston Burghead burial carved Celtic chapter Clancy Columba contemporary context crannog cross cult Dál Riata documentary sources Driscoll Dunadd Dundurn early Christian early historic period early medieval Edinburgh élite enclosure evidence example excavation Forsyth Forteviot Fortriu Fraser Gaelic Gaels Gododdin Historic Scotland important inscriptions Insular art Iona Ireland Irish Iron Age kingdom kingship land late later mac Ailpín metalwork monastery monks monuments Mounth Nechtan neighbours northern Northumbria ogham Orkney perhaps Perth and Kinross Pictish symbols Pictland Picts Picts and Dál place names Plate political Portmahomack possibly power centres prehistoric recognised religious ritual role Roman royal saints Scots Scottish sculpture secular settlement Shetland significant slab society souterrains St Andrews St Vigeans structures suggests surviving symbol-bearing cross-slab symbol-incised stones territories timber Viking Woolf