Blog
Crosskirk: The stone that watched history
Helen Mackay tells us the story of the Crosskirk stone. This is a story about a symbol stone that was the centre of its world. It stood beside a large broch on the far northern shore of mainland Pictland, a little to the west of Thurso, at a place today called...
Pictish art in the 21st century
In this short blog we introduce you to the wonderful world of the unique Celtic artwork of Iconographer Pictus Pictor, Dr. J Larry Scrimgeour. 'Celtic Art of the Pictish School has fascinated me since boyhood as no other art-form can, combining the mystic symbolism of...
Dunrobin 2: The princess and the snake
Here’s a fascinating blog by Helen McKay about the ‘Dunrobin 2’ Pictish carved stone found near Golspie (over the grave of a woman who died around 660AD) and now on display at Dunrobin Castle Museum. In her blog, Helen looks at the snake symbol on the stone and...
Gairloch’s Pictish Symbol Stone: The story so far…
One of Gairloch Museum’s star objects is its Pictish symbol stone - beautifully displayed in the recess of one of the blast doors of the bunker. But where and when was this rare object discovered and how did it end up in the Museum? This blog tells the tale of the...
Craig Phadrig Iron Age and Pictish hillfort, Inverness
Annette McKittrick tells us the story of Craig Phadrig and how it helps us to understand the social and cultural development of Inverness. Inverness is a city which has a deep connection to its history and heritage, with visible connections to the past throughout the...
Highland Pictish carved stones inspire new business and a historical trilogy
Martin Haworth - author, and owner of ‘Roaming Scotland’- talks about how Highland Pictish carved stones inspired him to start a new business and write a historical trilogy. During the course of a week-long sponsored walk to Tain, following in the pilgrim footsteps of...
David McGovern talks about his love of Pictish art
A blog by David McGovern of Monikie Rock Art. Amongst other projects, David is currently working on a replica of the recently-discovered Conan Stone. The original can be seen in Dingwall Museum, and the replica is due to go on display locally later this year – watch...
The Conan Stone Story
This is a happy story. But also a sobering one. Be careful what you wish for. In February 2019 a NOSAS member, Anne MacInnes, was exploring an old neglected burial ground that she had become aware of, just south of Conan Bridge. Anne does graveyard surveys and, as...
Dr Oisin Plumb Introduces Us To The Picts
An introduction to the Picts. Dr Oisín Plumb, Institute for Northern Studies, UHI The earliest surviving reference to the Picts comes in a Roman text written around AD 297. From that point onwards, there are a number of references in Roman texts to Picti. This word...
Marjory Tait Talks Highland Celtic Art
My name is Marjory Tait and my business Highland Celtic Art was established in 2016. I was born and brought up on a croft / hill farm above Drumnadrochit in the 1970s. There is a large cup stone in one of the fields, now behind my house, and a carved Pictish stone was...