Huge 1,400-Year-Old Pictish Burial Ground Found in Scotland
In Scotland, one of the largest Pictish cemeteries ever found has been uncovered by archaeologists. It is believed to be at least 1400 years old. The find is expected to throw new light onto the enigmatic Picts who played such as critical role in the history of the British Isles.
The find was made by a team of archaeologists who are part of the Tarradale Through Time team, whose work is backed by the North of Scotland Archaeological Society (NOSAS). It was found near Muir of Ord in the Black Isle, in the famous Scottish Highlands, on some farmland. The Scotsman reports that the extraordinary find was made ‘‘after earlier aerial photography and geophysical survey suggested a range of surviving features below the plough soil’’.
The archaeologists during their excavations have found barrows or burial mounds. Barrows were monuments constructed with a mound of earth and stones, and are often associated with burials, though this may not have been their original purpose. They are believed to be about 1400 years old and date to when the Pictish people dominated Scotland.
There are also enclosures at the site that range in size from about 8m (26ft) to more than 40m (131ft) reports Scot.net. Once the cemetery extended over a large area and dominated the landscape. The discovery is one of the biggest, if not the largest Pictish burial grounds, found to date. Some fragments of bone and charcoal have been unearthed at the site.
In the general area there have been many finds related to the Picts. Steven Birch, the site director, told the BBC the find was made not long after the ‘‘discovery of a previously unrecorded Pictish stone about six miles (10km) away’’. The cemetery is also near the medieval Rosemarkie monastic settlement which is renowned for its magnificent Pictish carvings.