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Between prehistory and history: the archaeological detection of social change among the Picts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2013

Gordon Noble ,
Meggen Gondek ,
Ewan Campbell  and
Murray Cook
Gordon Noble
Affiliation:
1Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, St Mary's, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen AB24 3UF, UK
Meggen Gondek
Affiliation:
2Department of History and Archaeology, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester CH1 4BJ, UK
Ewan Campbell
Affiliation:
3Department of Archaeology, University of Glasgow, Gregory Building, Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
Murray Cook
Affiliation:
4Rampart Scotland, 6a Gladstone Place, Stirling FK8 2NN, UK
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Abstract

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The development of small-scale kingdoms in the post-Roman world of northwestern Europe is a key stage in the subsequent emergence of medieval states. Recent excavations at Rhynie in north-eastern Scotland have thrown important light on the emergence of one such kingdom, that of the Picts. Enclosures, sculptured ‘symbol stones’ and long-distance luxury imports identify Rhynie as a place of growing importance during the fifth to sixth centuries AD. Parallels can be drawn with similar processes in southern Scandinavia, where leadership combined roles of ritual and political authority. The excavations at Rhynie and the synthesis of dated Pictish enclosures illustrate the contribution that archaeology can make to the understanding of state formation processes in early medieval Europe.

Keywords

ScotlandRhynieearly medievalkingdomshillfortsPictssacral kingship
Type
Research articles
Information
Antiquity , Volume 87 , Issue 338 , December 2013 , pp. 1136 - 1150
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2013

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