The Picts are commonly described today as a group of tribes and/or independent kingdoms who lived in the eastern and northeastern regions of Scotland during the ancient and early medieval period (from 600 BCE through 900 CE).
The Picts first appear in the written histories in 297 CE when the Roman orator Eumenius reports that the Picts had attacked Hadrian’s wall. The Roman stereotype of the Picts portrays them as bearded, tattooed, naked, barbarian warriors. In his book Scotland: The Story of a Nation, Magnus Magnusson disagrees with the Roman stereotype:
“They were not by any means the painted barbarians described by Roman chroniclers; on the contrary, they were a cultured society ruled by a sophisticated warrior aristocracy which could afford to employ learned men and, more particularly, craftsmen of all kinds—particularly the sculptors who fashioned the magnificent carved stones which are the unique legacy of the Picts.”
The Picts are perhaps best known for their artistic carved stones which have been found throughout the region. In their book Caithness Archaeology: Aspects of Prehistory, Andrew Heald and John Barber write:
“The Picts are made visible in the archaeological record by the survival of rather wonderful and very enigmatic carved stones.”
These stones, which are inscribed with symbols which seem to have been inspired by Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Christian iconography, are the most tangible and distinctive evidence of Pictish society. In her book Pictish Stones in Dunrobin Castle Museum, Joanna Close-Brooks writes:
“The symbols are carved into the stone, generally by ‘pecking’, hammering a punch along the line so it leaves a series of peck marks, which were then more or less smoothed out.”
Joanna Close-Brooks also writes:
“The series of symbols which appear on Pictish stones is unique to Pictland, they are not found elsewhere in the British Isles. These symbols occur on their own symbol stones and with other decorative motifs on cross-slabs.”
In an article in British Archaeology, Gordon Noble, Martin Goldberg, and Derek Hamilton report:
“The symbols, a striking series of animals, objects and abstract designs, are found on over 200 stone monuments from eastern and northern Scotland, and are seen occasionally on metalwork, bone and stone portable objects.”
While the characteristic of the Pictish Stones are the symbols which are inscribed on them, there is some disagreement as to what constitutes symbols which are unique to Pictish art. Discussions of these symbols estimate that there may be as many as 60-65 unique symbols to as few as 30. Most Pictish scholars seem to feel that there are about 50.
With regard to Pictish designs, Richard Muir, in his book The Stones of Britain, writes:
“The carvings on the Pictish stones include weird, elaborate symbols of a superficially abstract form, like the ‘crescent-and-V-rod’, the ‘Z-rod’ and the ‘spectacles’. Gracefully economical portrayals of native animals like the salmon, eagle or deer, human figures, and crosses with ornate interlace decorations in fine relief are also found.”
The earliest of the Pictish Stones have symbols inscribed on un-worked stone—that is, stone which has not been shaped or worked. Called Class 1 Pictish Stones by some scholars, many of these date to the sixth through eighth centuries CE. These stones predate the spread of Christianity into the region. These stones may have served as personal memorials or as territorial markers.
Some of the Pictish symbols are abstract geometric designs while others are representations of animals, including wolf, stag, eagle, adder, and salmon. The apparently mythical Pictish Beast, which has a pointed snout, curling antennae, and curved limbs, may be intended to represent a sea-monster. Geometric symbols are more common than animal representations. The animal symbols usually appear only in connection with abstract symbols.
A third group of symbols includes recognizable objects such as combs and mirrors, tongs and shears, hammers, and anvils. These are most commonly shown in pairs.
With regard to meaning, Richard Muir writes:
“Whether the symbol stones are territorial markers which sport the emblems of a tribe, or personal memorials with a message about status and lineage, and whether they carry messages of guidance, warning or boastfulness is quite unknown. They represent the ultimate challenge to cryptography.”
Gordon Noble, Martin Goldberg, and Derek Hamilton write:
“Given their context of use, it may be that Pictish symbols operated like early hieroglyphs in Egypt, which evolved as a public form of display concerned with prestige and high-status identities and activities.”
While it is common to assume that the symbols represent ideas, there are some scholars who feel that the symbols might represent language in a manner similar to the ogham system. It should be noted that both the Roman and ogham alphabets were in use in Pictland at the time the stones were carved. Thus, the concept of writing would have been known.
The Irish missionary Columba is credited with converting the Picts to Christianity during 673 to 735. As a result, the symbolism in the Pictish Stones includes the Christian Cross and designs which were influenced by Christian manuscript art. With regard to Pictish designs, Gordon Noble and Meggen Gondek, in an article in Current Archaeology, write:
“By the later 7th and 8th centuries, these designs had become more elaborate, with their artistic repertoire expanding to include Christian crosses and iconography—as well as scenes of hunting, warfare, and other elite activities, suggesting that the people who commissioned these monuments were likely of high social status.”
With regard to the meaning of the Pictish symbols, Gordon Noble and Meggen Gondek write:
“Some of the symbols probably represent personal names, now lost to us, but the stones are also testament to the power and vitality of the Pictish kingdoms, granting rare glimpses of beliefs and lifestyles that are not otherwise preserved in historical documentation.”
Some of them have ogham (a form of writing) inscriptions. About 350 of the Pictish Stones have survived, primarily in the northern and eastern regions of Scotland.
National Museum of Scotland
Shown below is the display of Pictish stones in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Orkney Museum
According to a display in the Orkney Museum:
“The Picts are best known for the symbols that they carved on stone monuments. The meaning of the symbols is lost to us but it was clearly very important to the Picts.”
Shown below are the Pictish Stones displayed in the Orkney Museum.
More about Scotland
Ancient Scotland: The Picts
Ancient Scotland: 10,000 Years Ago
Ancient Orkney: Stones of Stenness
Ancient Orkney: Burials (Photo Diary)
Ancient Orkney: Early Inhabitants
Ancient Orkney: The Vikings (Photo Diary)
Ancient Orkney: The Iron Age (Photo Diary)
Ancient Scotland: Stone Artifacts (photo diary)