• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Archaeology News
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum
Archaeology News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Archaeology

Rare medieval script discovered on ancient Pictish carved stone

Dario Radley by Dario Radley
November 3, 2022
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Linkedin.Share on RedditShare on Whatsapp

A 1,500-year-old carved stone from the ‘Painted People’ in a Scottish cemetery possibly reveals a bull, pelicans, and an ancient alphabet script. The stone, unearthed last month in a small cemetery, dates to between CE 500 and 700.

Rare medieval script discovered on ancient Pictish cross stone slab
Credit: Murray Cook / Stirling Council

The Picts, or”Painted People,” were so-named by Roman historians for their supposed war paint and tattoos (“picti,” is the Latin word for”paint”).

During the early medieval period, they lived in northern and eastern Scotland. The Picts, who were most likely descended from Celtic tribes, are well-known for successfully resisting Roman conquest. While the Romans regarded the Picts as barbarous and backward, they were mostly subsistence farmers who grew grain and herded domesticated animals.

Historians generally agree that shortly after the Picts sent the Romans out of Scotland in the late 5th century, in 685 AD, they drove out the remaining Britons (at the Battle of Dun Nechtain). They are thought to have consolidated and defended their mini-empire until Vikings took hold of the northeast at the beginning of the 10th century.

However, the discovery of a cross slab in a region that was a buffer zone between the Picts and the Romans, and later the Britons, complicates that tidy history.

RelatedStories

Hidden treasures uncovered during A47 roadworks reveal secrets of Norfolk’s past

Hidden artifacts uncovered during A47 roadworks reveal secrets of Norfolk’s past

June 24, 2025
Sinkhole in York uncovers remains of medieval St Leonard’s Hospital, one of northern England’s largest

Sinkhole in York uncovers remains of medieval St Leonard’s Hospital, one of northern England’s largest

June 22, 2025

Measuring 119 centimeters (47 inches) high and 82 centimeters (32 inches) wide, the Old Kilmadock stone is similar in size and shape to a large burial marker. Experts believe they may have served multiple functions. The item has a rounded top, animal decorations, and an Ogham script strip (a medieval alphabet).

“The cross slab is the first one in this region, and may mean that the residents started to think of themselves as Picts,” Murray Cook, a Stirling Council archaeologist who led the excavation, told Live Science via email.

Kelly Kilpatrick, a historian and Celticist at the University of Glasgow, told Live Science in an email that cross slabs “could be grave markers, and used to communicate Christian messages to a lay audience through imagery. Sometimes you find iconography from native Pictish religion intermixed with Christian iconography on these types of monuments.” But its rounded top and circular, knotted cross make the Old Kilmadock stone a rare type of Pictish cross slab.

“This discovery shows the value of archaeological investigation of early church sites in Scotland,” Maldonado said, “too few of which have been excavated. It is a huge win for community-led research, providing value both for local heritage and internationally.”

The recently discovered stone stands testimony to transitional times in Scottish history when ancient Pictish symbols were given new Christian interpretations.

The recently found stone stands testimony to transitional times in Scottish history when ancient Pictish symbols were given new Christian interpretations. The stone most likely survived because it was used to cover graves in the Old Kilmadock cemetery much later.

ShareTweetShareShareSend

You May Also Like...

1,900-year-old Roman-era lion-head discs reveal burial customs and cultural symbolism
Archaeology

1,900-year-old Roman-era lion-head discs reveal burial customs and cultural symbolism

June 26, 2025
New exhibition unveils rare artifacts and final voyage of 17th-century warship ‘The London’ Credit: Southend Central Museum
Archaeology

New exhibition unveils rare artifacts and final voyage of 17th-century warship ‘The London’

June 26, 2025
Shakespeare’s famous “upstart crow” insult may have come from collaborator Thomas Nashe
Archaeology

Shakespeare’s famous “upstart crow” insult may have come from collaborator Thomas Nashe, new research reveals

June 25, 2025
Ancient mosaics and sacred inscriptions uncovered in Turkey’s Olympos reveal early Christian history
Archaeology

Ancient mosaics and sacred inscriptions uncovered in Turkey’s Olympos reveal early Christian history

June 25, 2025
Hidden treasures uncovered during A47 roadworks reveal secrets of Norfolk’s past
Archaeology

Hidden artifacts uncovered during A47 roadworks reveal secrets of Norfolk’s past

June 24, 2025
Lost Tiwanaku temple unearthed in Bolivia reveals ancient Andes trade and ritual network
Archaeology

Lost Tiwanaku temple unearthed in Bolivia reveals ancient Andes trade and ritual network

June 24, 2025

Follow us


Instagram
247K

Facebook
108K

Threads
42K

LinkedIn
12K

Twitter
6K

YouTube
1K
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

May 18, 2025
Secrets of the mysterious Gobi wall revealed: archaeologists uncover imperial purpose behind 200-mile structure

Secrets of the mysterious Gobi wall revealed: archaeologists uncover imperial purpose behind 200-mile structure

May 28, 2025
Genetic study reveals the origin and diversity of the Huns

European Huns were not of Turkic origin but had ancient Siberian roots, linguistic study reveals

June 24, 2025
Viking-era boat burial unearthed in Norway reveals 1,100-year-old remains of woman and her dog

Viking-era boat burial unearthed in Norway reveals 1,100-year-old remains of woman and her dog

June 9, 2025
6,200-year-old ‘cone-headed’ skull found in Iran reveals cranial modification and death by blunt force

6,200-year-old ‘cone-headed’ skull found in Iran reveals cranial modification and death by blunt force

June 13, 2025
$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

A 21-year-old student successfully deciphered the first word from the Herculaneum scrolls, charred during Mount Vesuvius' eruption

A 21-year-old student successfully deciphered the first word from the Herculaneum scrolls, charred during Mount Vesuvius’ eruption

New evidence reveals the source of mercury in the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor

New evidence reveals the source of mercury in the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor

Oldest US firearm discovered in Arizona: a 500-year-old relic of Coronado's expedition

Oldest US firearm discovered in Arizona: a 500-year-old relic of Coronado’s expedition

1,900-year-old Roman-era lion-head discs reveal burial customs and cultural symbolism

1,900-year-old Roman-era lion-head discs reveal burial customs and cultural symbolism

June 26, 2025
New exhibition unveils rare artifacts and final voyage of 17th-century warship ‘The London’ Credit: Southend Central Museum

New exhibition unveils rare artifacts and final voyage of 17th-century warship ‘The London’

June 26, 2025
Shakespeare’s famous “upstart crow” insult may have come from collaborator Thomas Nashe

Shakespeare’s famous “upstart crow” insult may have come from collaborator Thomas Nashe, new research reveals

June 25, 2025
Ancient mosaics and sacred inscriptions uncovered in Turkey’s Olympos reveal early Christian history

Ancient mosaics and sacred inscriptions uncovered in Turkey’s Olympos reveal early Christian history

June 25, 2025
Hidden treasures uncovered during A47 roadworks reveal secrets of Norfolk’s past

Hidden artifacts uncovered during A47 roadworks reveal secrets of Norfolk’s past

June 24, 2025

Archaeology News online magazine

Archaeology News is an international online magazine that covers all aspects of archaeology.











Categories

  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • Download
  • Game
  • News
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Paleontology
  • Quiz
  • Tours

Subscribe to our newsletter

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum

About  .  Contact  .  Donation

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to improve your experience and enable functionality and security of this site. Further detail is available in our Privacy Policy. By accepting all cookies, you consent to our use of cookies and use of data.