The King in the North: The Pictish Realms of Fortriu and Ce

by Gordon Noble, Gordon Noble (Editor), Nicholas Evans (Editor), Nicholas Evans

Overview

Some years ago a revolution took place in Early Medieval history in Scotland. The Pictish heartland of Fortriu, previously thought to be centred on Perthshire and the Tay found itself relocated through the forensic work of Alex Woolf to the shores of the Moray Firth. The implications for our understanding of this period and for the formation of Scotland are unprecedented and still being worked through.

This is the first account of this northern heartland of Pictavia for a more general audience to take in the full implications of this and of the substantial recent archaeological work that has been undertaken in recent years. Part of the The Northern Picts project at Aberdeen University, this book represents an exciting cross disciplinary approach to the study of this still too little understood yet formative period in Scotland's history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781910900864
Publisher:	Birlinn, Limited
Publication date:	12/20/2022
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.65(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Gordon Noble is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Honorary Curatorial Fellow to the University Museums at the University of Aberdeen. He has also been director of the Rhynie Environs Archaeological Project. He is author of a number of books, including Neolithic Scotland: Timber, Stone, Earth and Fire.

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. He is 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).

Gordon Noble is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Honorary Curatorial Fellow to the University Museums at the University of Aberdeen. He has also been director of the Rhynie Environs Archaeological Project. He is author of a number of books, including Neolithic Scotland: Timber, Stone, Earth and Fire.

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. He is 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).

Table of Contents

List of plates and figures ix

Abbreviations xii

Acknowledgements xiii

1 Introduction: The king in the north - The Pictish realms of Fortriu and Ce Gordon Noble 1

2 A historical introduction to the northern Picts Nicholas Evans 10

3 Fortified settlement in northern Pictland Gordon Noble 39

4 Rhynie: A powerful place of Pictland Gordon Noble Meggen Gondek Ewan Campbell Nicholas Evans Derek Hamilton Simon Taylor 58

5 The monumental cemeteries of northern Pictland Juliette Mitchell Gordon Noble 81

6 (Re)discovering the Gaulcross hoard Gordon Noble Martin Goldberg Alistair McPherson Oskar Sveinbjarnarson 104

7 The development of the Pictish symbol system Gordon Noble Martin Goldberg Derek Hamilton 119

8 The early Church in northern Pictland Nicholas Evans Gordon Noble 134

9 Coda Gordon Noble 168

Sites to visit 175

References 182

Index 203

Editorial Reviews

The most useful chapter is the examination of hill forts and other fortified settlements. You can follow archeologists' extrapolations about how they were constructed if you seek to make one of your own.

Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

"...a useful, and a slightly curious, compendium. [...] Evans’ thoughtful historical essay sets the scene well, and is critically underpinned by Woolf’s repositioning of the key Pictish kingdom of Fortríu into Moray from south of the Highland massif."

Current Archaeology

...singularly recommended addition to personal, professional, college and university library Scottish Archaeology & History collections.

Midwest Book Review

"A fascinating leap forward in this field of study. A book that requires time and effort, but with all the detail and history mustered within, it is worth the effort."

Scottish Book of the Week Dundee Courier

"A fascinating book and one which will have a lasting value. It fundamentally changes the background picture [of the Picts]."

Undiscovered Scotland