Aberdeenshire and Moray History: Pictish project given top accolade
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Work to uncover how the ancient Picts lived in the North East has been named the year's top archaeological project.
The Picts thrived in this area between 300AD and 900AD.
First described by late Roman sources as a troublesome people living north of the imperial frontier, the Picts went on to forge a kingdom dominating a large part of Scotland.
Yet apart from their ornate but enigmatic symbol stones, the archaeological record for the Picts has proved diffuse and difficult.
This lack of evidence has even led to them being labelled one of the ‘lost peoples of Europe’.
However, the work since 2012 of the University of Aberdeen’s Northern Picts Project has been steadily altering that perception.
That project has been investigating an area stretching across Aberdeenshire, Moray and Easter Ross, covering the probable extent of Fortriu – the most-cited and most-powerful Pictish kingdom.
Large-scale excavations and targeted fieldwork have uncovered some truly spectacular finds.
These include the discovery at Gaulcross, Aberdeenshire, of a hoard containing a hundred silver items, including coins and fragments of brooches and bracelets.
Then there is the settlement perched on the Tap O' Noth hill near Rhynie, which is among the most extensive examples of ancient life ever found in Scotland.
Enclosing an area of around 17 acres, it was constructed in the fifth to sixth centuries and housed up to 4000 people
The sheer scale of the find has forced experts to re-evaluate what they thought they knew about Scotland's history.
Previously it was not believed that people north of the border lived in such large communities until more than 500 year later.
The Northern Picts Project has consequently been awarded Current Archaeology’s Research Project of the Year award for 2021.
Accepting the award on behalf of all his colleagues, Professor Gordon Noble said: "It was a great honour to be nominated, let alone win.
"Our project has been about trying to put the Picts on the archaeological map.
"Winning this award is testament to the fact that we have succeeded to some extent.
"But there’s much we can do in the coming years to ensure that progress continues."
