Archaeology: Who Were the Picts People of Scotland?

clothing of the Picts people of Scotland Credit: Allthatsinteresting.com

Recently I came across an article in BBC News- Scotland about an archaeological find from the Picts
people of Scotland. Since I've never heard of them, I decided to blog about it and tell you what I found. Here's some info about the Picts and the ancient time they lived, their disappearance in the 10th century . Tomorrow you'll read about the archaeological find.  Read on


WHO WERE THE PICTS PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND? The Picts were a confederation of Celtic-speaking peoples who lived in what is today eastern and northern Scotland during the Late British Iron Age and Early Medieval periods. ... Their Latin name, Picti, appears in written records from Late Antiquity to the 10th century.

OVERVIEW ARTICLE FROM ALL THATS INTERESTING.COM
Meet The Picts: The Ancient Blue Wildmen Who Protected Scotland From The Roman Empire
By Mark Oliver https://allthatsinteresting.com/picts
Published March 25, 2019/ Updated March 27, 2019

Some 2,000 years ago, Scotland was home to a group of people known as the Picts. To the Romans who controlled much of Britain at the time, they were but mere savages, men who fought completely naked, armed with little more than a spear. But the Picts were fearsome warriors. Every time the Roman Empire tried to move into their territory, the Picts successfully fought back. The Roman legions were the greatest military force the world had ever seen and the only people they couldn’t conquer were this wild clan.

Pictish stone of battle scene: poss. Battle of Nechtansmere 685 AD.

Yet despite their formidable warrior culture, the Picts mysteriously vanished during the 10th century. The wild men the Romans could not conquer faded away and barely left behind a trace of their existence. Today, historians still struggle to piece together a glimpse into who the Picts were and what happened to their mighty culture.


WHY CALLED PICTS? - The Picts were so named by the Romans who observed and record them, but as was the case with many ancient peoples, the Picts did not refer to themselves that way. “Pict” is believed to be a derivation of “The Painted,” or “Tattooed People,” which described the blue tattoos with which the Picts covered their bodies.

JULIUS CAESAR'S TAKE ON THE PICTS - Julius Caesar, upon meeting them in battle, he recorded that they “dye themselves with woad, which produces a blue color, and makes their appearance in battle more terrible. They wear long hair, and shave every part of the body save the head and the upper lip.”

PICTS CLOTHING - According to other Roman sources, the only clothing the Picts wore were iron chains around their waists and throats. Iron was considered to them a sign of wealth and a material more valuable than gold. In addition, iron also served a practical use, the Picts could use these chains to carry swords, shields, and spears. Their bodies were otherwise adorned head to toe with colored tattoos, designs, and drawings of animals. Indeed, these designs were so so intricate and beautiful that the Romans believed the reason the Picts didn’t wear clothes was to show them off.

TRUTH ABOUT THE PICTS- The Picts, historians believe, weren’t a particularly war-like people. The Picts seem to have been farmers and were a peaceful people who focused their faith on nature. They believed a goddess had walked through their lands and that every place where her foot had landed was sacred. Their fierce commitment to their ancestral land is likely what motivated them to become fearsome protectors of it. There is little proof even that they really fought naked. Most of what archaeologists have discovered about the Picts comes from the 5th century or later, but by then, at least, the culture had taken to using linen, wool, and silk. They drew themselves dressed in tunics and coats in pictures.

CHRISTIANITY KILLED OFF THE PICTS - In 397 AD, Christian missionaries started moving into the Picts’ territory and spread the message of Jesus Christ. One of the most successful individuals in converting the Picts was Saint Columba, who famously won over the clans by banishing a monster they thought dwelled in the River Ness – a story that’s believed to be the basis for the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. By this point, Pictish culture began to change. More and more, they became influenced by their Gaelic neighbors and started to imitate their language and beliefs.

THE LAST PICTISH KING DEAD IN 843 AD - The last Pictish kings died in 843 AD — killed, depending on who you believe, by either the Vikings of the Scots. Then, the King of the Scots, Cinaed Mac Alpin or Kenneth MacAlpin, crowned himself as their ruler and formally united the Picts with the Scots.