The 'best book on the Picts ever written' has arrived

Carved in Stone has been written for a younger audience in mind, but delves deep into the enduring questions surrounding the early medieval people, their lifestyle and culture. An array of experts tackle the big stereotypes - such as whether they really were tattooed barbarians - and the unknowns, in the publication.

The book examines Pictish society in the late seventh century. The latest research into the weather, languages, settlements, cuisine, fashion and medicine are distilled into 160 pages and more than 350 historically informed illustrations.

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The book has received the highest of praise from experts in the field, including Dr. Adrián Maldonado, project curator at National Museums Scotland, and Katherine Forsyth, professor of Celtic studies at the University of Glasgow

Dr. Maldonado said: "It’s basically the best book on the Picts ever written. By starting from Scotland’s environment, and incorporating lessons from archaeology, history and art, this brings the Picts to life more effectively than any other depiction I’ve yet seen."

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The project has been led by Brian Tyrell, of Stout Stoat Press, an Edinburgh-based games and book publisher, and Dr Heather Christie, of ArchaeoPlays, an archaeologist, gamer and YouTuber.

The project has concluded the Picts were like any other human society - complicated and beyond the often one-dimensional portrayal of the barbarians painted in blue.

The term "Picti" - Latin for painted - first appeared in Roman writing, such as a panegyric by the orator Eumenius in 297AD, with the vision of a Pict as a tattooed warrior strongly persisting since then.

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The authors of Carved in Stone believe that evidence of the Pictish tattooing tradition is inconclusive, partly given that tattooing does not show up in any of their stone carvings.

Furthermore, while some blue pigments such as woad or copper were available, the Picts would have known these were unsafe for human use.

The book proposes that tattoos of varying colours were as common for the Picts as they are today; a few people had many, some people had one or two, and most had none.

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The Picts were descended from Iron Age tribes, whom the Romans called, among other names, the Caledonii. They formed a series of smaller kingdoms, many of which are thought to have unified in the late seventh century to form a single kingdom, which is referred to today as Pictland.

Evidence suggests the heart of the Pictish kingdom was in present-day Moray and Aberdeenshire.

However, the book also illustrates how Pictland stretched down to the Firth of Forth and across from the Isle of Skye to Shetland and anyone who arrived and settled in Pictish lands throughout this chapter of their civilisation was generally considered Pictish.

Research has shown the Picts contributed to the cultures around them, were internationally connected, were intricately skilled artists, held a mixture of religious beliefs and fulfilled every role in the early medieval period, from farmers to hunters, monks, artisans and members of the king’s warbands.

READ MORE: Could this be the face of an ordinary Pict?

Carved in Stone has been created with fans of tabletop roleplaying games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, in mind.

Prof Forsyth said: “Such a lot of thought and care has gone into this painstaking recreation of what it was like to live in Scotland in the seventh century.

“The result is a fresh perspective, which is wonderfully creative yet grounded in thorough research and accessible in our age. The Picts emerge from the shadows and step forward in technicolour. This will inspire readers to bring them to life in their imagination and in their games.”

Dr Jeffrey Sanders, head of outreach at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said the book had “far exceeded” the original plan for the publication.

Carved in Stone is available from the Stout Stoat Press website.