Aberlemno Sculptured Stones
Encyclopedia
The Aberlemno Sculptured Stones are a series of five Class I and II Early Medieval
standing stones
found in and around the village of Aberlemno
, Angus
, Scotland
.
. Aberlemno 2 is found in the Kirkyard, 300 yards south of the roadside stones. In recent years, bids have been made to move the stones to an indoor location to protect them from weathering, but this has met with local resistance and the stones are currently covered over Winter.
Aberlemno 4, the Flemington Farm Stone was found 30 yards from the church , and is now on display in the McManus Galleries
, Dundee
.
Aberlemno 1 is the central roadside stone. It is a rough unworked stone, bearing incised Pictish
symbols, defining it under J Romilly Allen and Joseph Anderson's classification system as a Class I stone. The symbols on one face: the serpent, the double disc and Z-rod
and the mirror and comb. The meaning of these symbols is unknown. The other face of the stone exhibits prehistoric cup marks
, showing that it has been re-used. This stone is known as Aberlemno I or the Serpent Stone.
The west face is inscribed with a quadrilobate Celtic Cross
. The cross itself bears several styles of Celtic pattern designs. The vertical arms are inscribed with three separate knotwork designs, the horizontal arms with keywork designs. The central roundel has a spiral design composed of three interconnecting triskelions. Bordering the cross are a number of Celtic zoomorphic designs, reminiscent of Northumbrian designs and designs from the Book of Kells
. A hole has been bored through the upper part of the stone some time after its sculpting.
The rear face features two pictish symbols, a notched rectangle with z-rod and a triple disc. Below this are nine figures which have been interpreted as a narrative account of a battle.
Until recently, it was thought to date to the mid-8th century, but subsequent analysis has suggested a mid-9th century date.
The stone is apparently the earliest of the truly monumental cross slabs in Southern Pictland.
. The anterior portion of the beast symbol (facing right) has suffered some damage due to ploughing, but is still easily visible.
On the rear of Aberlemno 2 is a scene showing human figures bearing weapons, apparently engaged in battle. The figures appear in three rows. The top row has an unhelmeted figure on horseback riding behind a helmeted rider, possibly in pursuit. The helmeted rider is armed with a spear and appears to have dropped his sword and shield. The middle row has a helmeted rider armed with a spear and shield facing three unhelmeted infantry soldiers armed with spears, swords and shields. The bottom row shows a mounted and unhelmeted figure and mounted helmeted figure facing each other, both armed with spears. Behind the helmeted rider lies a helmeted casualty, with a bird to his right.
The battle scene has been interpreted in numerous ways. The earliest record of the stone by Hector Boece
, from the 16th century, links the scene with the Battle of Barry
(now known to be historically inauthentic):
This interpretation persisted well into the mid-19th century, some time after antiquarian George Chalmers
identified Dunnichen
as a possible site of the Battle of Dun Nechtain.
While it was noted in 1955 by Robert Stevenson, keeper of the Museum of Antiquities of Scotland that the helmets depicted on the stone were of a general sub-Roman design and the helmeted figures were likely to be Picts, the superficial similarity of the helmets with their long nasal, with the Anglo-Saxon
Coppergate Helmet
found at York in 1982 has led to the compelling notion that the helmeted figures are Northumbrians. This, coupled with the stone's proximity to Dunnichen (3 miles (5 km) to the south) lead to the interpretation made by historian Graeme Cruickshank that the scene was a depiction of the Battle of Dun Nechtain.
Cruickshank's interpretation, published in 1985, 1300 years after the Battle of Dun Nechtain, received general acceptance, although he has been criticised for his suggestions that the stone was created soon after the battle in 685, when the conventional view at the time was that it was sculpted a century later.
The subsequent identification of Dunachton
in Badenoch
as a second candidate for the site of the battle, and the revised dating of the stone to the mid 9th century has weakened Cruickshank's argument somewhat, and alternative interpretations have been made, including that the scene depicts a battle between Picts and Vikings, or that it is a memorial to 8th century Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa
, or even that it represents a spiritual struggle.
Scotland in the Early Middle Ages
Scotland in the early Middle Ages, between the end of Roman authority in southern and central Britain from around 400 and the rise of the kingdom of Alba in 900, was divided into a series of petty kingdoms. Of these the four most important to emerge were the Picts, the Scots of Dál Riata, the...
standing stones
Pictish stones
Pictish stones are monumental stelae found in Scotland, mostly north of the Clyde-Forth line. These stones are the most visible remaining evidence of the Picts and are thought to date from the 6th to 9th centuries, a period during which the Picts became Christianized...
found in and around the village of Aberlemno
Aberlemno
Aberlemno is a parish and small village in the Scottish council area of Angus. It is noted for three large carved Pictish stones dating from the 7th and 8th centuries AD ; the stones can be viewed at any time in spring-autumn, but are covered by wooden boxes in the winter to prevent frost damage...
, Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Location
Aberlemno 1, 3 and 5 are located in recesses in the dry stone wall at the side of the road in AberlemnoAberlemno
Aberlemno is a parish and small village in the Scottish council area of Angus. It is noted for three large carved Pictish stones dating from the 7th and 8th centuries AD ; the stones can be viewed at any time in spring-autumn, but are covered by wooden boxes in the winter to prevent frost damage...
. Aberlemno 2 is found in the Kirkyard, 300 yards south of the roadside stones. In recent years, bids have been made to move the stones to an indoor location to protect them from weathering, but this has met with local resistance and the stones are currently covered over Winter.
Aberlemno 4, the Flemington Farm Stone was found 30 yards from the church , and is now on display in the McManus Galleries
McManus Galleries
McManus Galleries is a Gothic Revival-style building, located in the centre of Dundee, Scotland. The building houses a museum and art gallery with a collection of fine and decorative art as well as a natural history collection....
, Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
.
Aberlemno 1
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
symbols, defining it under J Romilly Allen and Joseph Anderson's classification system as a Class I stone. The symbols on one face: the serpent, the double disc and Z-rod
Double disc (Pictish symbol)
The double disc is a Pictish symbol of unknown meaning, that is frequently found on Class I and Class II Pictish stones, as well as on Pictish metalwork. The symbol can be found with and without an overlaid Z-rod , and in combinations of both .-Gallery:...
and the mirror and comb. The meaning of these symbols is unknown. The other face of the stone exhibits prehistoric cup marks
Cup and ring mark
Cup and ring marks or cup marks are a form of prehistoric art found mainly in Atlantic Europe and Mediterranean Europe although similar forms are also found throughout the world including Mexico, Brazil, Greece, and India, where...
, showing that it has been re-used. This stone is known as Aberlemno I or the Serpent Stone.
Aberlemno 2
Aberlemno II, found in Aberlemno kirkyard, is a shaped cross-slab, bearing Pictish symbols as well as Christian symbols in relief, defining it as a Class II stone. The stone, carved from Old Red Sandstone, stands 2.3 meters tall, 1.3 meters wide at the base, tapering to 0.9 meters wide at the top, and is 0.2 meters thick.The west face is inscribed with a quadrilobate Celtic Cross
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
. The cross itself bears several styles of Celtic pattern designs. The vertical arms are inscribed with three separate knotwork designs, the horizontal arms with keywork designs. The central roundel has a spiral design composed of three interconnecting triskelions. Bordering the cross are a number of Celtic zoomorphic designs, reminiscent of Northumbrian designs and designs from the Book of Kells
Book of Kells
The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by Celtic monks ca. 800 or slightly earlier...
. A hole has been bored through the upper part of the stone some time after its sculpting.
The rear face features two pictish symbols, a notched rectangle with z-rod and a triple disc. Below this are nine figures which have been interpreted as a narrative account of a battle.
Until recently, it was thought to date to the mid-8th century, but subsequent analysis has suggested a mid-9th century date.
Aberlemno 3
The western road-side stone is another Class II stone showing a Celtic Cross on one side, and a hunting scene on the reverse. This stone is known as Aberlemno 3. This stone, along with Aberlemno 2, has until recently been thought to date from the eighth century. However, more recent comparative analyses have revealed it to be of a later, mid-ninth century origin.The stone is apparently the earliest of the truly monumental cross slabs in Southern Pictland.
Aberlemno 4
This stone, found in 1961 is approximately 1.5 meters tall, 0.5 m wide and 0.3 m thick. It has incised symbols on an unworked stone, defining it under J Romilly Allen and Joseph Anderson's classification system as a Class I stone. There are two symbols, a horseshoe and a Pictish BeastPictish Beast
The Pictish Beast is an artistic representation of an animal, and is depicted on Pictish symbol stones. It is not easily identifiable with any real animal, but resembles a seahorse, especially when depicted upright...
. The anterior portion of the beast symbol (facing right) has suffered some damage due to ploughing, but is still easily visible.
Aberlemno 5
The eastern Class I stone is highly eroded and the incised symbols are extremely difficult to make out. This stone is thought to be unfinished or a later fake. This stone is known as Aberlemno 5.The battle scene on Aberlemno 2
The battle scene has been interpreted in numerous ways. The earliest record of the stone by Hector Boece
Hector Boece
Hector Boece , known in Latin as Hector Boecius or Boethius, was a Scottish philosopher and first Principal of King's College in Aberdeen, a predecessor of the University of Aberdeen.-Biography:He was born in Dundee where he attended school...
, from the 16th century, links the scene with the Battle of Barry
Battle of Barry
The Battle of Barry is a legendary battle in which the Scots, purportedly led by Malcolm II, defeated a Danish invasion force in 1010 AD. Its supposed site in Carnoustie, Angus can be seen in early Ordnance Survey maps. The history of the event relies heavily on tradition and it is currently...
(now known to be historically inauthentic):
82. Parem cladem nobilissimus Danorum manipulus est sortitus ad Aberlemnonem vicum vix a Bretheno, nunc civitate episcopali sede honestata, quatuor passuum millibus, qui a Scotis interceptus ibidem ferro occubuit. Quo loco ingens lapis est erectus. Huic animantium effigies nonnullis cum characteribus artificiose, ut tum fiebat, quae rem gestam posteritati annunciarent, sunt insculptae.
82. A noble company of Danes suffered a similar slaughter near the village of Aberlemno, a village four miles distant from Brechin (nowadays a city possessing the honor of an episcopal see), which was intercepted by the Scots and put to the sword. Here a great stone was erected, carved with lifelike figures and an artfully-engraved inscription (according to the lights of those days) to record this achievement for posterity.
This interpretation persisted well into the mid-19th century, some time after antiquarian George Chalmers
George Chalmers
George Chalmers was a Scottish antiquarian and political writer.-Biography:Chalmers was born at Fochabers, Moray, in 1742. His father, James Chalmers, was a grandson of George Chalmers of Pittensear, a small estate in the parish of Lhanbryde, now St Andrews-Lhanbryde, in Moray, owned by the family...
identified Dunnichen
Dunnichen
Dunnichen is a small village in Angus, Scotland, situated between Letham and Forfar. It is close to Dunnichen Hill, at which the Battle of Dun Nechtain is popularly believed to have been fought.-History:...
as a possible site of the Battle of Dun Nechtain.
While it was noted in 1955 by Robert Stevenson, keeper of the Museum of Antiquities of Scotland that the helmets depicted on the stone were of a general sub-Roman design and the helmeted figures were likely to be Picts, the superficial similarity of the helmets with their long nasal, with the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
Coppergate Helmet
Coppergate Helmet
The Coppergate Helmet is an 8th century Anglo-Saxon crested helm in York. It has two cheek plates, a mail curtain and a nose-guard, and is richly decorated with brass ornamentation. On analysis it was found to be made of iron with decorations of brass containing approximately 85 percent copper...
found at York in 1982 has led to the compelling notion that the helmeted figures are Northumbrians. This, coupled with the stone's proximity to Dunnichen (3 miles (5 km) to the south) lead to the interpretation made by historian Graeme Cruickshank that the scene was a depiction of the Battle of Dun Nechtain.
Cruickshank's interpretation, published in 1985, 1300 years after the Battle of Dun Nechtain, received general acceptance, although he has been criticised for his suggestions that the stone was created soon after the battle in 685, when the conventional view at the time was that it was sculpted a century later.
The subsequent identification of Dunachton
Dunachton
Dunachton is an estate on the north-west shore of Loch Insh in Badenoch and Strathspey, in the Highlands of Scotland. It occupies land immediately to the north of the A9 road and General Wade's Military Road....
in Badenoch
Badenoch
Badenoch is a traditional district which today forms part of Badenoch and Strathspey, an area of Highland Council, in Scotland, bounded on the north by the Monadhliath Mountains, on the east by the Cairngorms and Braemar, on the south by Atholl and the Grampians, and on the west by Lochaber...
as a second candidate for the site of the battle, and the revised dating of the stone to the mid 9th century has weakened Cruickshank's argument somewhat, and alternative interpretations have been made, including that the scene depicts a battle between Picts and Vikings, or that it is a memorial to 8th century Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa
Óengus I of the Picts
Óengus son of Fergus , was king of the Picts from 732 until his death in 761. His reign can be reconstructed in some detail from a variety of sources.Óengus became the chief king in Pictland following a period of civil war in the late 720s...
, or even that it represents a spiritual struggle.
External links
- Aberlemno Stones: I, II, III, V
- Aberlemno Sculptured Stones