Newton Stone
Encyclopedia
The Newton Stone is an ancient pillar stone, found in Aberdeenshire
, Scotland. The stone contains two inscriptions, one identified as Ogham
, but the second script has never been positively identified and many different decipherments or theories have been proposed since the 1850's.
discovered the stone by the opening up of a new road near Pitmachie Farm, Aberdeenshire, after local shephards told him of a "curious monument" that sat there. The stone was later taken and planted in the garden of Newton House, in the Parish of Culsamond about a mile north of Pitmachie Farm by the antiquarian Alexander Gordon
, alongside another stone found closeby the Newton Stone at Pitmachie. George Hamilton-Gordon was indebted by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
for writing a letter describing the original position of the Newton Stone (and the other stone) since Alexander Gordon removed them from their original position which archeologists and historians at the time thought could have been of significance. Before being moved to the garden of Newton House and subsequently becoming known as the "Newton Stone", the stone was known by locals as the "Pitmachie Stone".
script, but the second has never been identified and became known from the early 19th century as the "unknown script". The Ogham
script is engraved down the left-hand side of the stone and runs across part of its face, while across the top third of the stone, roughly central, is the unknown text or unidentified script which contains 6 lines comprising 48 characters in total.
The "other" stone found with the Newton Stone at Pitmachie does not contain any inscriptions but is a Pictish symbol-stone.
first published the engravings of the Newton Stone in his Inquiry into the History of Scotland (1814) yet made no attempt to deciphere the unknown script. George Hamilton-Gordon
's son Arthur Gordon first took these published engravings to Cambridge University in 1849 and scholars first took an interest in attempting to deciphere the unknown text. Various different theories regarding the decipherment or identification of the unknown script have been proposed since 1850's.
In 1864 antiquaran Alexander Thomson read a paper to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
addressing six claims of alleged decipherment theories of the Newton Stone:
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland. The stone contains two inscriptions, one identified as Ogham
Ogham
Ogham is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the Old Irish language, and occasionally the Brythonic language. Ogham is sometimes called the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", based on a High Medieval Bríatharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual letters.There are roughly...
, but the second script has never been positively identified and many different decipherments or theories have been proposed since the 1850's.
Discovery and relocation
The Newton Stone has been known since 1804 when the Earl of Aberdeen George Hamilton-GordonGeorge Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen KG, KT, FRS, PC , styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a Scottish politician, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855.-Early life:Born in Edinburgh on 28 January 1784, he...
discovered the stone by the opening up of a new road near Pitmachie Farm, Aberdeenshire, after local shephards told him of a "curious monument" that sat there. The stone was later taken and planted in the garden of Newton House, in the Parish of Culsamond about a mile north of Pitmachie Farm by the antiquarian Alexander Gordon
Alexander Gordon (antiquary)
Alexander Gordon was a Scottish antiquary and singer. His survey of Roman sites, the Itinerarium, was considered an essential reference by all Roman antiquaries of his time.-Early life and education:...
, alongside another stone found closeby the Newton Stone at Pitmachie. George Hamilton-Gordon was indebted by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body in Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum, Chambers Street, Edinburgh...
for writing a letter describing the original position of the Newton Stone (and the other stone) since Alexander Gordon removed them from their original position which archeologists and historians at the time thought could have been of significance. Before being moved to the garden of Newton House and subsequently becoming known as the "Newton Stone", the stone was known by locals as the "Pitmachie Stone".
Inscriptions
The Newton Stone contains two inscriptions. The first an OghamOgham
Ogham is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the Old Irish language, and occasionally the Brythonic language. Ogham is sometimes called the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", based on a High Medieval Bríatharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual letters.There are roughly...
script, but the second has never been identified and became known from the early 19th century as the "unknown script". The Ogham
Ogham
Ogham is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the Old Irish language, and occasionally the Brythonic language. Ogham is sometimes called the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", based on a High Medieval Bríatharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual letters.There are roughly...
script is engraved down the left-hand side of the stone and runs across part of its face, while across the top third of the stone, roughly central, is the unknown text or unidentified script which contains 6 lines comprising 48 characters in total.
The "other" stone found with the Newton Stone at Pitmachie does not contain any inscriptions but is a Pictish symbol-stone.
Decipherment theories
John PinkertonJohn Pinkerton
John Pinkerton was a Scottish antiquarian, cartographer, author, numismatist, historian, and early advocate of Germanic racial supremacy theory....
first published the engravings of the Newton Stone in his Inquiry into the History of Scotland (1814) yet made no attempt to deciphere the unknown script. George Hamilton-Gordon
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen KG, KT, FRS, PC , styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a Scottish politician, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855.-Early life:Born in Edinburgh on 28 January 1784, he...
's son Arthur Gordon first took these published engravings to Cambridge University in 1849 and scholars first took an interest in attempting to deciphere the unknown text. Various different theories regarding the decipherment or identification of the unknown script have been proposed since 1850's.
In 1864 antiquaran Alexander Thomson read a paper to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body in Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum, Chambers Street, Edinburgh...
addressing six claims of alleged decipherment theories of the Newton Stone:
- Phoenician (Rev. Nathan Davis)
- CelticCeltic languagesThe Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
(Dr. Padre) - LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
(Thomas Wright) - GreekGreek languageGreek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
(Constantine SimonidesConstantine SimonidesConstantine Simonides , palaeographer, dealer of icons, man with extensive learning, knowledge of manuscripts, miraculous calligraphy...
) - Egyptian ArabicEgyptian ArabicEgyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
(Dr. J. E Brown) - Hebrew-BactrianBactrian languageThe Bactrian language is an extinct Eastern Iranian language which was spoken in the Central Asian region of Bactria. Linguistically, it is classified as belonging to the middle period of the East Iranian branch...
(Dr. George MooreGeorge Moore (physician)Dr. George Moore MD was a physician and British Isrealite.-Career:Moore became a Doctor of Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in the 1830's...
)