Stone helps recreate image of Pict warrior
Archaeologists have carefully recreated the image of a figure on a Pictish stone discovered during a Perth construction project.
During ground clearance work near McDiarmid Park in 2017, a nearly two-metre high monolith was discovered, depicting a male figure carrying a spear.
Though the outline of the man could be seen, the carving was faint in places and the surface of the stone had partially delaminated.
Archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen, who are currently leading a study into the northern Picts, have taken thousands of photographs to create 3D images of the design.
This work has allowed them to compare it to others they have found.
Professor Gordon Noble, head of archaeology at the University of Aberdeen, and Dr Mark Hall, archaeological curator at Perth Museum and Art Gallery, say the stone - which is now known as the Tulloch Stone - is a “significant find”.
In a paper published in ‘Antiquity’, the research team argues the similarities observed between the Tulloch Stone and those found at Rhynie in
Aberdeenshire and Newton of Collessie in Fife are “filling the gaps” of Scotland’s undocumented history.
Professor Noble said: “By looking at the three stones together, we have been able to draw new conclusions about what these figures represent.
“On the Tulloch Stone we can now see that the man is carrying a distinctive door-knob butted spear, which we know from previous research was in use from the third to the sixth century.
“He also has a very distinctive hairstyle, is wearing a helmet and necklace and has a faint line around the left ankle which could suggest footwear or tight leggings.
“In line with other stones, this is clearly a depiction of a warrior.
“Its findspot overlooks the coming together of the rivers Tay and Almond, a junction marked by a Roman fort and later a possible Pictish royal centre, suggesting the monolith might have been located in a cemetery of the elite.
“Because the presentation of the figures is standardised across all of the stones, it is likely that it represents a generic sacred image, rather than it being a depiction of someone buried there.”
Dr Hall from Perth Museum and Art Gallery adds this suggests it is of a warlord or warrior.
This has been well documented in Anglo Saxon England, but has rarely been seen in Scotland.
He said: “In Anglo-Saxon England we have lots of examples of burials with weaponry and the poem ‘Beowulf’ epitomises the warrior ethos of this period.
“This has not been evidenced in Scotland in the same way but through the new Tulloch find and a reconsideration of long-known stones, we can see that warrior ideology cast in stone - meaning these martial values were conveyed in a very public way to be visible in the landscape and to invoke supernatural protection.”
Professor Noble added: “This bridges a crucial gap in knowledge as, although we know warrior ideology is important for rulership, we haven’t previously been able to demonstrate how that evolves through time in the period before the sixth and seventh centuries when we begin to get historical records fro Scotland.
“We believe that the weapon-bearing individuals shown on these stones may represent a war-oriented social organisation that was integral to resisting the Roman Empire and to creating the overtly hierarchical societies of the post-Roman period.”
The Tulloch Stone was discovered during construction work on the A9 and A85 and is currently undergoing further research and conservation prior to going on display in the new museum being created in Perth City Hall.
This new museum is due to open to the public in 2022.