2015 Am Màrt: na Cruithnich / March: the Picts

24/02/2015 seaboardgàidhlig No comments

Na Cruithnich

Clach an Laoigh / Calf Stone

Tha ùidh shònraichte aig muinntir Machair Rois anns na Cruithnich, is an sluagh àrsail seo na phàirt den dualchas againn. Tha sinn mòiteil – mar a thuigear – às na sàr-eisimpleirean de leacan snaighte Cruithneach a tha againn ann am Baile a’ Chnuic, Seannduig agus Neig, agus ‘s ann am Port mo Cholmaig a tha làrach den chiad mhanachainn Chruithneach a chaidh riamh a lorg. Chaidh iomadh criomag obair-cloiche Cruithnich eile a lorg anns na cladhaichean le Màrtainn Carver an sin, nam measg pìosan brèagha is luachmhor, ri fhaicinn ann an Ionad Taisgealaidh an Tairbeirt. ‘S e ‘Clach an Laoigh’ am pìos as ainmeile, le tarbh agus bò ag imlich laogh air an snaigheadh oirre, a’ toirt fianais air cho sgileil agus ealanta ‘s a bha na Cruithnich anns an obair seo.

Tha an fhianais-chloiche seo gu sònraichte cudromach air sgàth ‘s nach eil eachdraidh sgrìobhte aig na Cruithnich fhèin (ach corra sgriobt Ogham air cuid de na leacan) – chan eil againn ach beagan aithrisean mun deidhinn air an sgrìobhadh le sluaghan eile, mar na Ròmanaich, a bha na nàimhdean aca, gun teagamh le cuid mhath de phropaganda ann. Tha fios againn gun robh iad cumhachdach ann an Alba aig àm nan Ròmanach ann am Breatann agus fad beagan linntean às dèidh sin. Bha cliù aca gun robh iad nan làn-ghaisgich air blàr catha. Dh’fhàs na leacan na bu sgileile, na b’ ealanta, agus na bu sgeadaichte, agus nochd eileamaidean Crìosdail orra anns na linntean na b’ anmoiche; ach chan eil fìor fhios againn dè tha na samhlaidhean tillteach Cruithneach orra a’ ciallachadh no a’ comharrachadh – na slait-V, na cearcaill dhùbailte, na slait-Z amsaa.

Ach às dèidh dhaibh binnean an cumhachd a ruigsinn, anns an t-seagh chultarach co-dhiù, chaidh iad à sealladh mar shluagh air leth (a thaobh aithrisean eachdraidheil agus clachan a bharrachd, air a’ char as lugha) nuair a thàinig an sluagh Albannach, le àite-suidhe ann an Dùn Ad, taobh Iar-Dheas na h-Alba, gu cumhachd, bhon 9mh no 10mh linn a-mach. Tha e coltach gun robh na Cruithnich a’ bruidhinn cànan Breatannach, ‘s dòcha ceangailte ri seann-Chuimris, ach nochd Gàidhlig nan Albannach an àite sin cuideachd anns na sgìrean far an robh na Cruithnich làidir roimhe.

Clach Neige / Nigg Stone

Chan eil fhios againn ciamar a thachair an t-atharrachadh-cumhachd seo anns an da-rìribh – an robh e gu sìtheil, m.e. tro chaidreachas an aghaidh nan Lochlannach, no tro cho-choslachadh ceum air cheum, no an deach na Cruithnich a cheannsachadh tro bhuaidh-làrach nan Albannach? Bha agus tha fhathast beachdan eadar-dhealaichte am measg an luchd-eachdraidh.

Ach anns na bliadhnaichean a dh’fhalbh lorg na h-arceòlaichean barrachd làraichean agus iarsmadh Cruithneach drùidhteach anns an sgìre againne, agus ann an Taobh an Ear-Thuath na h-Alba san fharsaingeachd, eadar Tairbeart Machair Rois, Siorrachd Mhoreibh, m.e. Am Broch (Burghead) le dùn Cruithneach, agus Siorrachd Obar Dheathain, m.e. Roinnidh (Rhynie) leis na clachan ‘Rhynie Man’ agus an Craw Stane. Tha na ceanglaichean eadar na làraichean – am biodh seo deas-ghnàthach, poiliteagach no eaconamach – a’ fas nas inntinniche agus nas cudromaiche cuideachd. Tha e a’ fàs nas soilleire gun robh ionad smachd cudromach nan Cruithneach againn ann Alba an Ear-Thuath, ‘s dòcha fiù ‘s rìoghachd ainmeil Fortriù fhèin. Bha na h-eòlaichean a’ creidsinn ro sin gur ann ann an Siorrachd Pheairt a bha Fortriù, ach mar thoradh air obair le Alex Woolf mu 2006, tha coltas gur ann an sgìre Linne Mhoireibh a bha e.

Tuagh iarainn aig ‘Rhynie Man’ with axe reconstruction

Tha cladhaichean arceòlais nas ùire a’ toirt taic ris a’ bheachd seo, m.e. ann an Roinnidh fhèin, far a bheil Gòrdan Noble bho Oilthigh Obar Dheathain den bheachd gur e ionad rìoghail Cruithneach a bh’ ann, air sgàth an ainm fhèin (Rhynie, bho rìg = rìgh ann an Celtis tràth) ach cuideachd on a lorg iad nìthean luachmhòr ann, leithid pìosan cuaich-glainne mhìn bhon Fhraing, nach cleachdadh ach na h-ìrean sòisealta a b’ àirde aig an àm sin. Chaidh meatailt a leaghadh an sin cuideachd, a rèir choltais – lorg iad uidheam agus pìosan beaga obrach-iarainn grinn, agus tha tuagh aig ‘Rhynie Man’ air a’ chlach ainmeil. Ann an Gaulcross (Banbh), mu 20 mìle bho Roinnidh, lorg iad mòr-ulaidh iongantach le airgead Ròmanach air an ath-chleachdadh leis na Cruithnich, nam measg seudraidh ealanta.

Faodaidh sibh mòran de na nìthean seo fhaicinn a-nis, gus 31 den Chèitean, aig taigh-tasgaidh beag King’s Museum ann an Obar Dheathain. Bha mi ann agus ged a tha e beag, ‘s e taisbeanadh math dèanta a th’ ann, le mineachaidhean glè shoilleir, mapaichean feumail, bhideo agus eisimpleirean de dh’obair-iarainn air an dèanadh le ath-chruthachadh fùrneis Chruithneach, ‘s an leithid sin. Tha e fìor inntinneach – gu h-àraidh do dhaoine à Dùthaich nan Cruithneach mar a tha sinn fhèin. B’ fhiach dhuibh a dhol ann.

Ceanglaichean agus gailearaidh gu h-ìosal!

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The Picts

Hilton Stone reconstruction

Seaboard folk have a special interest in the Picts – after all, that ancient race is part of our heritage. We’re understandably proud of the prime examples of carved Pictish stones we have in Hilton, Shandwick and Nigg, and Portmahomack is the site of the first Pictish monastery ever found. Many pieces of Pictish stone-work were found in Martin Carver’s digs there, among them some beautiful, precious items, which can be seen in the Tarbat Discovery Centre. The most famous of them is the ‘Calf Stone’, with a bull and a cow licking her calf carved on it, bearing witness to how skilful and artistic the Picts were in this craft.

This witness in stone is all the more important because we have no written records from the Picts themselves (apart from occasional Ogham script on some of the stones) – there are only a few accounts about them written by other peoples, such as the Romans (their enemies), no doubt with a fair bit of propaganda included. We know that they were powerful in Scotland at the time of the Romans in Britain, and for a few centuries after that. They had a reputation as fearless warriors on the battlefield. Their stones grew more skilful, more artistic, and more decorated, and Christian elements appeared in the later centuries; but we don’t really know what the recurring Pictish symbols on them meant or commemorated: the V-rod, the double disc, the Z-rod etc.

Burghead Pictish fort (image)

But after they had reached the peak of their power (in the cultural sense at any rate), they disappeared from sight as a separate people, certainly as regards historical accounts and further stones, when the Scots, with their headquarters in Dunadd, in the south west of Scotland, came to power, from the 9th-10th century. It’s possible that the Picts spoke Brittonic, perhaps related to Old Welsh, but the Gaelic of the Scots appeared in its place too in the areas where the Picts had previously been strong.

We don’t know how exactly this power-change happened – was it peaceful, e.g. through an alliance agianst the Vikings, or via gradual assimilation, or were the Picts conquered on the battlefield by the Scots? The historians are still out on that one.

part of Gaulcross Hoard

In recent years, archaeologists have found more sites and impressive Pictish remains in our own area and in the North East of Scotland in general, between the Tarbat Peninsula, Moray, e.g. Burghead with its Pictish fortress, and Aberdeenshire, e.g. Rhynie, with the ‘Rhynie Man’ stone and the Craw Stane. The links between the sites – whether ritual, political or economic – are becoming more interesting and more important to the archaeologists too. It’s becoming clearer that we had an important centre of Pictish power in the North East, possibly the famous kingdom of Fortriù itself. Until recently experts had believed Fortriù was in Perthshire, but after work published by Alex Woolf around 2006 it seems likely that it was in the Moray Firth area.

reproducing ancient iron metal smelting

More recent excavations support this theory, e.g.in Rhynie itself, where Gordon Noble of Aberdeen University believes it was a royal centre, because of the name (from rìg = king in early Celtic), but also because they found very precious items there, such as pieces of a fine glass goblet from France, which would only have been used by the highest social class at that time. Metal was also smelted, apparently, as they found moulds and examples of fine metal-work there, and Rhynie Man himself is depicted carrying an iron axe. In Gaulcross in Banff, 20 miles from Rhynie, they found an amazing hoard of Roman silver recycled by the Picts, including fine jewellery.

You can now see many of these items (especially from Rhynie and Gaulcross) until 31 May at the little King’s Museum in Old Aberdeen. I was there myself, and although it’s small, the exhibition is very well done, with clear explanations, useful maps, a video and examples of iron-work made in a recreated Pictish furnace, etc etc. It’s really interesting – especially to those of us from the land of the Picts. It’s definitely worth a visit!

Links and gallery below!