Gordon Noble - Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North

Gordon Noble is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Aberdeen and has undertaken award-winning landscape research and field projects, working on projects from the Mesolithic to Medieval periods. He is author of Neolithic Scotland: Timber, Stone, Earth and Fire (Edinburgh University Press 2006), Woodland in the Neolithic of Northern Europe: The Forest As Ancestor (Cambridge University Press, 2017) and coauthor of King in the North: The Pictish Realms of Fortriu and Ce (Birlinn, 2019). He works on two current major projects: Northern Picts and Comparative Kingship, the research for which won the Current Archaeology Research Project of the Year 2021, a highly prestigious accolade. His research has featured on BBC 2 Digging for Britain, BBC Radio 4 In Our Time and many other media outlets.

Nicholas Evans is a Research Fellow on the Leverhulme Trust funded Comparative Kingship: the Early Medieval Kingdoms of Northern Britain and Ireland project at the University of Aberdeen. A historian whose research and teaching have focussed on the medieval Celtic-speaking societies of Britain and Ireland, he is the author of The Present and the Past in Medieval Irish Chronicles (Boydell Press, 2010), A Historical Introduction to the Northern Picts (Aberdeen University/ Tarbat Discovery Centre, 2014) and co-author of King in the North: The Pictish Realms of Fortriu and Ce (Birlinn 2019).

First published in

Great Britain in 2022 by

Birlinn Ltd

West Newington House

10 Newington Road

Edinburgh

EH9 1QS

www.birlinn.co.uk

ISBN: 978 1 78885 506 8

Copyright Gordon Noble and Nicholas Evans 2022

The right of Gordon Noble and Nicholas Evans to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical or photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available on request from the British Library

Typeset by Mark Blackadder

Printed and bound in Britain by Bell and Bain Ltd, Glasgow

This book is dedicated to Anna Ritchie, an inspiration to any archaeologist studying Pictland. Her work has enriched Pictish studies for many decades and will do so for many more to come.

This book is also in memory of Caroline Wickham-Jones, another equally inspiring archaeologist, a great friend and sorely missed colleague.

In-text illustrations

Colour plates

1 Dice tower from Vettwei-Froitzheim

2 Bankhead, Perthshire, barrow cemetery

3 Norries Law plaque

4 Mould for a brooch from the Brough of Birsay

5 Penannular brooch from Clunie

6 The St Ninians Isle hoard

7 Roman glass from Dunnicaer

8 9th-century building under excavation at Burghead

9 Woollen hooded shawl from St Andrews Parish, Orkney

10 Reconstruction of the promontory fort and settlement of Dunnicaer

11 The Craw Stane, Rhynie, with Tap o Noth hillfort in the background

12 Recreation of the Dundurn leather shoe

13 Aerial image of Burghead

14 3D reconstruction of the fort at Burghead

15 Hilton of Cadboll cross-slab

16 Silver chains

17 The well at Mither Tap o Bennachie

18 Painted pebbles

19 The cross-slab from Papil

20 The Monymusk reliquary

21 Stages of excavation of the long cist at Rhynie

22 The skeleton of Rosemarkie Man

23 Carving of a bear from Scatness

24 Silver chain from Parkhill

This book contains a study of multiple facets of Pictish society from archaeological, historical and other perspectives, seeking to present a rounded analysis from the emergence of the Picts c.ad 300 to their disappearance in the 10th century. It is based on years of research and work by the authors and many individuals, both scholars and other members of the public, who have contributed in various ways.

Sincere gratitude to Anna Ritchie for reading through the entire book, providing timely comments and help. Isabel and George Henderson and Adrian Maldonado also read through chapters and provided very helpful comments. Obviously all errors and opinions remain our own.

This book would not have been possible without generous funding and support through the University of Aberdeen Development Trust from Don and Elizabeth Cruickshank, both born and educated in the north-east of Scotland and graduates of the University of Aberdeen, who helped establish the Northern Picts project. The generous funding of Iain and Nancy McEwan also through the University of Aberdeen Development Trust, along with funding from the McKayArdmay Fund, will open a new chapter in Pictish studies in the coming years.

The new discoveries outlined in this volume have also been generously funded by the Historic Environment Scotland Archaeology Programme, the Leverhulme funded Comparative Kingship project, the Strathmartine Trust, the British Academy, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service. In particular, the writing of this book was supported by a Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award (RL-2016069).

Many thanks to all those who provided images or facilitated access: Andy Hickie, Matt Ritchie, Kelly Kilpatrick, Hugh Levey, Holger Becker, Margaret Wilson, James ODriscoll, Davy Strachan, Martin Cook, AOC Archaeology, Steve Birch, Eric Grant, Jane Geddes, Cecily Spall, Ian Tait, Mark Hall and Gail Drinkall. Sesilia Niehaus helped with some of the image production. Alastair Reid also provided a very fine gift that helped with the research for the book.

GN: To all at the University of Aberdeen who make our research possible our wonderful students and volunteers who work on our projects, to my colleagues who provide inspiration, knowledge and fun! Thanks to all at Birlinn, especially Hugh and Andrew, and Patricia Marshall, who produce these wonderful books at affordable prices. To Jane Geddes who started this journey in Pictish studies. Thanks to colleagues who have either worked on the projects highlighted here or for amazing Pictish chats or both: Meggen Gondek, Ewan Campbell, Gemma Cruickshanks, Martin Goldberg, Daniel Maclean, Cathy MacIver, James ODriscoll, Edouard Masson-MacLean, Samantha Jones, Kate Britton, Andy Seaman, Paddy Gleeson, John Borland, David McGovern, Zack Hinckley, Derek Hamilton, Simon Taylor and many others. No thanks whatsoever to anxiety which has attacked body and soul throughout this Pictish journey. Finally and most of all, love and gratitude to Marianne, Elliot, Magnus and Stella. I couldnt do this without you.