A Pictish – seat of power – has been unearthed by a team of archaeologists in an Aberdeenshire village.
An excavation of the site south of Rhynie has revealed a mediaeval settlement and artefacts that would have positioned the village as a seat of major political power and influence, according to Rhynie Environs Archaeological Project.
Gordon Noble, from the University of Aberdeen, led the project with Dr Meggen Gondek, from the University of Chester. He said the find is “exceptionally rare” for Britain and “practically unheard of” as far north as Aberdeenshire.
The dig was organised after eight carved Pictish symbol stones were found near the site between the 19th century and the 1970s.
During the excavation the team uncovered burnt material, stone, Roman pottery, metalwork, glass and animal bone within a “substantial system” of fortification.
The Reap team said these artefacts will provide fresh information about the Picts who they say are one of Britain’s “most mysterious groups”.
Between AD 400-900 the kingdoms of the Picts are believed to have become some of the most powerful political groups in the north of Britain. However, the project team said there is little documented history and archaeological record about them.
The symbol stones help to provide a record of Pictish identity, beliefs and lifestyle.
The team said many of the finds at Rhynie, such as a small shard of glass identified as a drinking bowl from the sixth or seventh century, suggest the site was once a place for those of high status, associated with fine dining and drinking.
Dr Gondek said: “Some of the material culture we uncovered is exceptional. This is one of the most significant finds of early medieval imported goods in the north of Britain.
“The most remarkable were large fragments of a Roman amphora which was originally from the eastern Mediterranean. This pottery was most likely to be used for transporting or storing wine or possibly oil.”
The type of artefacts uncovered have only been found in more kingly centres such as Tintangel in Cornwall and Cadbury Castle in Somerset. The nearest site of similar importance in Scotland is Dumbarton Rock, an early royal site of the Britons of western Scotland, which is almost 200 miles away. The fortified mediaeval settlement in which the items were found has been described as “equally remarkable”. The team uncovered the remains of what would have been a system of defensive enclosures and the remains of wooden structures that provide evidence for buildings.
The finds will develop the understanding of the trade networks and politics of the period.
Dr Noble said the imported pottery suggests Rhynie has political trading links with other groups.
He added: “This sheds new light on a thorny issue because we have so little historical documentation about the Picts. We don’t know how they existed or why they disappeared. We have snippets of stories from the early medieval writers through which we learn that they’re politically active.”