Origins of the

PICTS & SCOTS

Prologue-

The Picts were not Gaels, they spoke a different language and had different customs. Their origins are unknown, although there are many theories, and the Picts themselves had their myths and traditions which compounded their mystery. Some scholars contend they were an earlier form of Celt, others contend they were a hybridization of the beaker people and the earlier aboriginal peoples. Still others feel they came from Norway, which would account for their pale skin.

Recent dna tests have proven the Picts were closely related to the Basques of northern Spain. If it is determined some day where the Basques came from, then we will know where the Picts came from also. This relationship had been suspected for some time as it was known that the two groups were uniquely non Indo European.

What is in a name? The north of Briton was called Caledonia by the Romans. This name was derived from the Celtic "Caoillaoin", signifying "the men of the forest", a name which was given to the northern inhabitants by their more southerly neighbours, on account of the forest nature of the north.

Later, Scotland was referred to as "Albinn." In Celtic, Al or Alba means high, whereas "Inn" means large island. The Pictish and later Scottish kings referred to themselves as "Kings of Alba" up until the Norman usurpation of the Scottish throne.

As for the inhabitants, the Romans first called them "Caledonians," then "Picti." This term referred to the habit of the Picts to paint themselves in times of battle to present a more fearsome image to their enemies. When the Romans first ventured to Briton, this painting habit was also widespread amongst the more southern Celts but as they became domiciled into the Roman culture, this cultural activity was extinguished. It remained prevalent in the north. The term no doubt means "painted people" in Latin. When the Picts became Christians, they adopted the Roman term "Pict."

The Scots, on the other hand, were a branch of the Irish Celts or Gaels. Ireland was divided between the earlier Cruithens (Picts, who migrated from Scotland around 200AD) and later arriving Goidels (Gaels), who were constantly at each others' throats. As Ireland never experienced a Roman invasion, it was a safe haven for raiders who plundered Roman provinces in England and Wales.

All Celts in western continental Europe were subdued by the Romans. However, the Irish branch maintained their cultural development free of the Roman yoke. After the Romans left Britain in about AD453, the Romanized (subdued) Gaels of England became easy targets for the fierce Scotic sea raiders. Scotic is related to the term Scythic and was pronounced the same in some areas of Britain. It is an interesting observation that the German word for both Scottish and Scythian is "Scutten", as the 6th century Saxon invaders of Alba spoke a form of lower German.

Recent dna tests have proven the Scots are closely related to the Berbers of North Africa, whose own ancestry is still also unknown.

It is certain that the heartland of the Celts was transalpine area in what is now Austria in the forth and fifth centuries B.C., when they achieved their greatest prosperity and expansion across Europe. They subjugated all those before them from Spain to the eastern Steppes, and certainly enjoyed the more temperate climate of western Europe, compared to the more severe climate of their Asiatic fatherland.

They pillaged Rome, invaded Persia and Macedonia, and developed contacts with Greeks, and have been: officially recorded by many distinguished historians as having originated from westward flowing Scythians, either through merchants or entire clans fleeing the marauding Sarmatians, themselves an eastern fringe element of the Scythian culture.

THE SCYTHIANS EMERGE

ON THE STEPPES OF EASTERN EUROPE

About 750 BC, a warlike Mongoloid people were expelled from their home territory in the north of China and moved westward. The pressure they exerted on other peoples began a mass movement westwards of scores of tribes. Much like the waves of the incoming tide pounding on a beach, each tribe arriving in Europe was followed by another, usually more fierce and violent than the one before.

Arriving with dust and thunder, fierce horsemen from the east burst upon the European steppe around 700 BC. Invincible for four centuries, these proud marauders grew rich on the dividends of conquest, decking even their horses with gold. Then, mysteriously, they vanished, leaving only tales of their courage and cruelty - and imposing tombs lavishly provisioned for eternity.
These were the Scythians In their time, they were invincible.

Migrating from eastern Asia, the Scythians were masters of the steppe for 400 years. They plundered their way across Asia until they settled in the area north of the Black Sea. Their empire reached from the Danube east across Ukraine all the way to the Don River and the Caucasus Mountains.

They introduced Europe to oriental advances in horse equipment and influenced the emerging Celts in many ways not yet understood or appreciated. They were a pastoral people, not inclined to establish large urban areas. This feature alone affected the Celts so much that they too developed into a self sufficient pastoral/ agricultural culture.

The Scythians sold cereals grown by their sedentary subjects to the Greek merchants who had set up shop in strategic locations around the Black Sea. They soon became the prime source of grains for the Greek city states of the Adriatic. We know that in the fourth century BC,

The Sarmatians, a later- emerging branch of the Scythian people encroached on the eastern Scythian lands. It is suggested that in the west, Scythians warred with Macedonians. Historians disagree why their Empire suddenly collapsed, it is known that for 100 years after they disappeared, their heartland was devoid of any human occupation. It may have been due to a severe climatic change, severe drought, over-grazing, or simply an implosion from within.

Notwithstanding, many of the present day peoples of the Caucasus identify with the Scythians, and maintain many of those ancient tales and myths, also referred to by early Greek historians, such as Jason and the Golden fleece.

The Greek historian Strabo, wrote that, at the sunset of their empire, some Scythians migrated to the mouth of the Danube and dispersed with other peoples in that vicinity, which would have been the coincidentally emerging Celts..

CELTS ARISE IN THE WEST

The oldest surviving references to the Celts are by Hecataeus and Herodotus, writing in the fifth century BC. Therein, the Celts were reported to have been established in southern France and around Styria in Austria. In 390 BC, the Celtic Gauls of present day France invaded Etruscan territory and sacked Rome. Three Celtic Tribes, called the Galati invaded Asia Minor and settled there. Another tribe invaded Macedonia. Contacts were made with the Scythians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. All these contacts resulted in advances in Celtic culture and sophistication.

PICTS Flourish in "Alba"

They are recorded to have reached Scotland by the first millennium BC, and chose the best areas for themselves. (The later British Celts had to take second best.) They absorbed the earlier tribesmen who were known as Orcades (who were definitely Celtic), and soon dominated the northern half of Scotland. The first to record their existence in Alba were sea-faring Greek merchant, who called them "Albiones" (pale-skinned ones). When the Romans ventured into their domain, these warrior people were called "Caledonii", then "Picti" (painted or tattooed ones.) They were well organized, fierce warriors, and had several unique characteristics which differentiated them from other Celts, so some historians have not considered them Celts at all.
They recorded their family genealogies along their female lines, similar to the Scythians. They also included female warriors in their standing armies as did the Scythians, but not the Scottish or Germanic peoples. They were not as quarrelsome amongst themselves as were the Scoti. They painted their bodies blue for battle, as was the ancient custom of the Celts. (This practice had died out in the more central areas of Celtic civilization.) They constructed huge hill forts of timber and stone. Their language was not identical with other Celts and, some scholars believe that the Picts were not Celts at all..

Picts had a tradition their ancestors were from Scythia. There are several confirming clues as to this claim:

Reliefs of Pictish warriors on Orkney gravestones have a decidedly 'Assyrian' appearance.
Celtic art drew its inspiration from Scythia, especially about animal representation; i.e. Stylized beasts, abstract geometric decorations.

The Pictish wood-built burial chamber under a barrow was similar to that of the Scythians.

After the Scythians were overwhelmed by the nomadic Sarmatians, many migrated into Hallstatt (early Celtic) territory in Styria in present day Austria.

Both Scythians and Picts had an extreme equestrian culture, (more so than other Celtic tribes.)

Trousers and woolen cloaks were worn by Picts and other Celts, which were especially convenient when riding horses. They were not derived from the Mediterranean nor from temperate Europe. They were obviously from horsemen of the cold eastern steppes, probably the Scythians.

Both Pict and Scythian armies used women warriors, other Celts did not.

Celtic, and Scythian societies were agricultural-pastoral as each tribe was engaged in its own food production. Therefore no large urban centres were realized.

The Celts achieved a standard in arts and crafts unparalleled amongst the ancient inhabitants of trans/Alpine Europe, rivaled only by their Eurasiatic neighbours and mentors, the Scythians.

At about 700BC, there appeared in the vicinities of Celtic Hungary, Bavaria, and Austria, bronze horse-bits, and bridle mounts, which were identical to types found in Scythia.

Who were these early Hallstatt Iron age Chieftains? Their horse-gear is an elaboration of their predecessors from the east.
(quote from 'The Celts" by T.G.E. Powell).

Pict Society

The Picts, including the Irish Cruithens, put more emphasis on female ancestry than on the male line, though they did not allow a Queen to rule over them as did the Iceni and Brigantes of Britain, whose queenswere almost demi-goddesses. The 'practical' Picts realized that a boy's best friend was his mother, and his father sometimes only a very fitful factor.

A great Pict King, Angus, was fighting the Saxons, who were encroaching on Pict territory, when he had a dream of Christ bearing his cross in a saltern manner against a blue sky. The next day he beat the Saxons in a mighty battle and in gratitude proclaimed the Saltern cross (white on a blue background) as his national banner. It still is the national flag of Scotland.

Most of the names we now associate with being Scottish were in fact Pictish, i.e. Angus, Bili, Kenneth, Donald, Duncan, Hugh, Malcom, Ronald, and many others which are unpronounceable in English. The surname Alpin is Pictish and means mountain. It began as 'Ailphin', then 'Elphin', then 'Alpine.'

The Picts maintained a system of succession whereby the crown was passed down to a brother or a nephew through the mother's line.

The Picts favoured two forms of execution: Drowning was reserved for unwanted Kings. Beheading was reserved for the most shameful of deaths and was used in a ceremony of retribution. The Picts compared very favorably with later peoples and their diabolical execution methods.

Enter the Scots

The 'Scoti' ventured across the north Irish sea to Argyll in the 400s and called it "Dalriada" after their Royal House of "Dal Riada" in Ulster.

They were afterwards referred to derisively as "Irish" for over one thousand years.) This marked the first time that Gaelic was spoken in what is now Scotland. The Picts were already established throughout northern Scotland and were not amused with these latecomers. For the next 400 years, Picts and Scots fought it out.

Scottish kings arose in Dalriada where they existed with the tolerance of local Pictish Governors. When threatened by outside forces, the Scots and Picts had no qualms re co-operating to beat off a common foe. The Picts were better organized, more unified, and had a more powerful army. The Scots, on the other hand, were unruly, untrustworthy, cunning, and fierce fighters. When the 'heathen' Norse began pillaging northern Scotland, they hit the Picts harder as they had populated the north, and the western & northern islands, which were the prime targets of Viking plunder. The Picts outnumbered the Scots and left to their own devices would have eliminated them, however devastated by the Giant Norse raiders, the Picts became susceptible to infiltration by the Scots.

This resulted in many intermarriages and a blurring of racial lines. In a Scot/Pict marriage, the Pict line went on through the mother and the Scot line was carried on down through the males. In this way, the Picts were eventually 'married' out of existence, as official government records were patriarchal.

Picts Win The Battles But

Lose The War

During the 800s, the Picts constituted about 90% of the population of northern Scotland, (the Scoti only about 10%). However they were constantly harried and were under heavy pressure by Norse in the north, Scots in the south-west, and by Germanic tribes of Angles in the south. In battle after battle, they succeeded in repulsing all comers.

This land was defended many times after Rome's departure. The Picts fought invasions by the Irish-Gaelic Scots in the west, the Welsh Britons in the southwest, and German Saxons in the southeast, and the sea borne Norse Vikings in the north, northwest, and northeast.

They sometimes lost great battles and huge chunks of land, only to regain them later through perseverance in the vicious warfare of the dark ages.

In the 7th century, Scots pushed their frontier far north, and a victorious Gaelic army came within a half-day march of the Pict capital of Inverness before it was crushed. In the south, the Saxon marched their Teutonic armies north and held Pict lands for 30 years before they were butchered and sent fleeing south by an avenging Pict army.

However, in AD837, the Picts suffered their most devastating military defeat - by the Norsemen. They lost their King and most of their leaders. This one event marked the beginning of the end for the Picts.

Their western and northern territories, including their island empire of the Hebridies, Orkneys, Shetland, and Faroes gone, they lost control of their own people and fell into a long period of civil wars and anarchy, and became fatally infiltrated by the Scots. As in a dying fire, they flickered back to life briefly through the 11 year rule of the last Pictish King of Alba, Grig the Great, Conqueror of all Alba, Hibernia (Ireland), Anglia, and Northumbria. But by AD1000, their culture was gone, replaced through assimilation by the Scots, much of it through inter-marriage, from slave raid by the Vikings, and the rest through a state-sponsored genocide.

Historical records of that time tell of large Viking centres in Ireland such as Dublin and Belfast, that owed their existence to the trade in vast numbers of Pict slaves taken from Scotland, who, due to their white skin, knowledge of Latin, and their long history of Christianization, were in great demand by the Romans.

Derided by many historians as "aboriginals", they established a hierarchal society, an island Empire, drove the best Roman Legions out of Alba south behind "Hadrian's Wall", fought off successive invaders from all corners of their country, traded extensively with mainland Europe, and played a leading role in Christianizing England and northern Europe.

Thus a sad end came to a magnificent people on the fringe of north-western Europe, a people who had selflessly carried the missionary's torch of a Columbun Christianity, independent of Rome, deep into the heart of a hostile northern Europe for 500 years, and mostly through their efforts, prepared the groundwork for the Lutheran reformation.

To read the story of the last Pictish Kings, go to Origins of the Clan Gregor

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