Apart from the awe-inspiring symbol stones, outstanding examples of the creativity of Pictish craftsmen survive in the form of gold, silver and bronze metalwork, largely in the form of jewellery for personal adornment.

Hoards of precious objects, concealed in Pictish times, have sometimes come to light: only a few pieces survive of what was said to be an entire set of silver armour and weapons, found in a burial mound called Norrie's Law in Fife early last century. Local legend told of a warrior called Norroway, mounted on a horse and clad in silver, buried in the mound.

Mirror Symbols occur frequently on the Pictish symbol stones, usually in addition to another symbol pairing. Despite the high occurence of mirror symbols few intact mirrors have been found in Pictland. The Birdlip Mirror (left) was discoveed near Gloucester in England and shows the type of design that might have been used to decorate Pictish mirrors. Pictish skill in metalwork was second to none in Europe during the Dark Ages. Massive double-link silver chains (perhaps symbols of rank) are a characteristically Pictish product, found at several sites throughout Scotland. Such artefacts, and the stones themselves, hint at the superb work the Picts must have created in wood, textiles and leather, but almost nothing survives in these perishable materials to prove this.

Pictish Jewellery

A lack of datable finds from excavations to date leaves us in a situation where we are unable to be specific about much of Pictish jewellery. The finds from Norrie's Law might be more to do with armour than jewellery and the Pictish silver chains have generally been interpreted as symbols of power rather than adornment.

However there is no doubt that the Picts had the same type of jewellery as their tribal neighbours and the magnificent tradition of pennanular brooches found in Scotland (and Ireland) strongly suggests that these were common in Pictland. (right) Wester Denoon, Angus. This Pictish Class II stone clearly shows a pennanular brooch.

(left) A bronze pennanular brooch from Rogart, Sutherland. Moulds for the creation of such brooches have been discovered throughout Scotland. The bronze pennanular brooches were continuously in use until the end of tribal Celtic-speaking tribal society in Scotland, the second half of the 18th century.

A hoard of Pictish silver brooches, scabbard-chapes (above), bowls and other artefacts, found in 1958 on St Ninian's Isle in Shetland is one of the greatest archaeological finds of modern times in Scotland.

Norrie's Law Hoard

The story of the silver found at Norrie's Law tumulus, on Balmain Farm, a mile to the north of Largo Law on the north shore of the Firth of Forth is both exciting and tragic. Exciting in that only from Norrie's Law do we have evidence of certain types of artefacts, and tragic in that so much of what was initially found is lost to us. Local tradition had much to say about Norrie's Law and one of the versions of its legend had it containing the body of Norroway, a Danish warrior clad in a suit of silver armour.

(illus. right)In the late 1830's a few, small, high-quality pieces of silverware were donated to the Museum of Scottish Antiquities by Lady Durham. These pieces - three "hand-pins", a pair of large pennanular rings with expanded terminals, two leaf-shaped plaques with double-discs and z-rods and dog (possibly deer) heads, a large silver roundel, a bowl, finger rings and a variety of pieces of bracelets and some silver mounts. The two plaques and one of the handpins have Pictish symbols - one of the few instances of use of the symbols on anything other than stone.

These had been given to her late husband General Durham by a local cadger or carrier who had found them in Norrie's Law many years before when he was removing sand for building. Most of the armour, and a number of silver coins had been sold to a local silversmith and melted down. Only a few pieces (now on display in the new Museum of Scotland) survived. The initial suggested seventh century date for the tumulus now seems to be late in date and the pins might date as far back as the fifth century, or earlier.

Pictish Silver Chains

These magnificent artefacts found mainly in southern Scotland, and known as silver chains are clearly high status objects of some kind, though whether secular or sacred we do not know for sure. A total of twelve chains have been found, of which two have symbols on them. One of these is from Parkhill, Aberdeenshire where it was found in 1864 and the other is from Whitecleugh, Lanarkshire. The Whitecleugh chain, weighing more than 2kg, has a classic Double-Disc and Z-Rod symbol on one side and a Notched Rectangle on the other. The symbols are inlaid with red enamel. The Parkhill chain has small enamelled designs on its pennanular terminals and one of them an s-shape akin but not similar to the s-shaped figure which appears on some Symbol Stones.

The distribution of the silver chains is problematic as we know little of the interchange between the different peoples or tribal confederations of Dark Age Scotland. Perhaps the silver chains were part of a cultural spread that included the Picts. In support of this is the early medieval Welsh kings' use of chains instead of crowns. At least some of the ancestors of the Welsh were the P-Celtic speaking Gododdin who were neighbours of the Picts if not directly related to them. Another possible explanation is looting by Anglo-Saxon Northumbrians during the troubled times of the 7th century. What we can be sure of is that in both their magnificent workmanship and value these ancient artefacts were of considerable importance in themselves.

Pictish Symbol Stones

The surviving corpus of Pictish Symbol Stones is the main body of evidence we have regarding the Picts. Whether early pagan symbol stones or great Chistian cross-slabs the artistry and beauty of these remarkable stones preserves a unique indigenous artistic tradition.

The realistic representations of animal foms suggests a close affinity with the natural world while the intricacy and precision of the geometric and inter-link patterns shows a highly developed and stylised artistic awareness.

The Golspie Stone,Sutherland (right) a Class II Pictish cross-slab. One of a collection of stones now housed at Dunrobin Museum, Sutherland. The influence of the Pictish Symbols on the development of Insular Celtic Art as exemplified in the Book of Kells an other illuminated manuscripts is at last beginning to be understood. While much research continues to be done on the development of Pictish Art there are clear resonances with earlier abstract forms such as the rock art of New Grange in Ireland which dates from before 3000 B.C. The choice of symbols, whether animal or abstract, can be put into a European context dating back millenia, suggesting perhaps that Pictish Art can be seen as an example of continuity rather than an exceptional "one-off". Today in Scotland many craftworkers and artists are deriving inspiration from this age-old artistic tradition.

The Pictish Symbols

For centuries the Pictish symbols were seen as being indecipherable. Recent work however is beggining to give suggestions as to possible meanings. By comparing some of the animal symbols to creatures with specific figures in both Irish and Welsh mythology some suggestion as to links with goddess-related pagan religion can at least be suggested.

The Drosten Stone (detail) one of a collection of stones at St. Vigean's museum, Angus. This Class II stone clearly illustrates the importance of animal art in Pictish sculpture. It may also depict one of the first recorded uses of a crossbow in Scotland (lower left). It is at least possible that the symbols on the early pagan stones could have been used as illustration of mythological stories and given the intricate and multivalent aspect of pre-literate symbolism this would not rule out other more simple functions for these motifs - such as either tribal markers or even individual or dynastic memorials.

Bronze plate with Double Disk & Z-Rod and Deer or Dog(?) Head Pictish symbols. Found at Monifieth Laws, Angus. Some of the geometric symbols may be identifyable as objects and many suggestions have been made as to their meaning. Within the abstract geometric symbols, crescent and v-rod, double disc and z-rod there are echoes of symbols used thousands of years before in mediterranean Europe and again directly assoicted with Mother Goddess figures.

The Pictish Animal Symbols

From Top to Bottom - Left to Right

Centaur. Pictish Beastie. Bull. Bull Head & Serpent. Boar. Lion (?). Bear. Horse. Deer (Stag). Wolf. Beasts Head. Eagle. Goose. Fish (Salmon). Seahorse & Hippocampus. Snake (Adder). Flower Symbol. Cat (?).

Until we can understand the meaning of the Pictish symbols there will debate as to what constitutes a true "symbol". The examples given above are based on those given in the ECMS (Early Christian Monuments of Scotland) with further additions from later sources.

The Pictish Geometric Symbols

From Top to Bottom - Left to Right

Circular Disc.Double Disc(2). Cauldron. Double Disc & Z-Rod. Disc & Rectangle. Disc & Notched Rectangle. Crescent & V-Rod. Crescent. Double Crescent. Bow & Arrow. Arch. Arch & V-Rod. S-Shape. Triple Oval. Triquetra. Rectangle. L-Shaped Rectangle. Stepped Rectangle (2). Tuning Fork. Notched Rectangle. Notched Rectangle & Z-Rod. Mirror & Comb. Hammer & Anvil. Pincers. Shears. Crozier.

Until we can understand the meaning of the Pictish symbols there will debate as to what constitutes a true "symbol". The examples given above are based on those given in the ECMS (Early Christian Monuments of Scotland) with further additions from later sources.

Insular Celtic Art

Insular Celtic Art has generally been presented as the Irish, Scottish and Welsh continuance of traditions originally developed on mainland Europe a millennium before the Pictish period.

As the importance of Pictish Art begins to properly appreciated its role in the development of Celtic Art in general is being recognised.

(right)Bronze hinged torc, from Stichill, Roxburghshire - Late 1st c.AD The great flowering of Insular Celtic Art has long been thought of as occuring in the illuminated manuscripts that survive from monasteries in Ireland and the North of England, both areas that long felt the influence of Iona in particular. Nowadays we can see the Pictish infuence in the illustrations of these magnificent works. Other forms of art such as the Celtic pennanular brooches are likely to have been used in Pictish society.

The complex interlinking in the manuscripts and which continued on so many Celtic crosses are clearly realted to the intricate patterns of knotwork and interlink that regularly occur on Pictish Symbol Stones.

The Shrine Panel from Jedburgh, Roxburghshire. One of a number of Northumbrian carved stones found built into the walls of Jedburgh Abbey and believed to be part of a sarcophogus or shrine. While we might never be able to ascertain in which direction the artistic influence ran, the old habits of seeing developments as always coming into Scotland no longer hold water. The relationships between the different confederations of tribal Dark Age Britan are likely never to be transparent, but the (limited) unifying effects of the Christian religion were perhaps building on links between the different groups that had lasted since that earlier period of what is now called Celtic Art.

Illuminated Manuscripts

One of the greatest flowerings of what is known as Insular Celtic Art was the creation of the Illuminated manuscripts of the Gospels.

The most famous of these is the Book of Kells, originated on Iona and completed at Kells, in Ireland. This great work was preceded by similar illuminated manuscripts from Durrow and Lindisfarne, parts of the Northumbrian Church rather than the Columban one.

(left) The Portrait of St. Matthew an artists impression from the Book of Kells.It has been suggested that there was a likelihood of Pictish artists being on Iona. The Books of Kells shows clear Pictish influence though whether initially executed by Pictish artists or by Columban monks they had trained we cannot say.In all likelihood some of the Columban monks must have been Picts and it is also likely some of these were artists. With Scottish and Irish Columban, and Northumbrian monasteries creating these works it seems unlikely that the Picts themselves did not. Sadly due to historical events of the 13th and 16th centuries much of Scotland's material culture has not survived.

Detail of an interlaced knotwork capital, an artists impression from the Book of Kells. We know that at different times both the Columban and Northumbrian Churches were at the heart of Pictish life, the latter directly replacing the former when they were banished by King Nechtan mac Derile c.717AD.

Much remains to be done in elucidating the interplay of different artistic styles and movements in the Dark Ages but we can be sure that the influence of Pictish Art was significant. This was part of a two-way process that saw Christian iconography merge with native tradition to create such masterpieces as the Hilton of Cadboll Cross Slab in stone just as further south the creation of the Illuminated Gospels had fused similar traditions. Perhaps one day someone might yet find a Pictish Illuminated Manuscript.