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The Picts: A History, by Tim Clarkson
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Pictish history is recorded only in fragments presented by writers whose lords and masters were often bitter enemies of the Picts. Here, the various fragments are drawn together to tell the story of this mysterious people from their emergence in Roman times to their eventual disappearance. The Picts were an ancient nation who ruled most of northern and eastern Scotland during the Dark Ages. Despite their importance in Scottish history they remain shrouded in an aura of myth and misconception. In the ninth century they were absorbed by the kingdom of the Scots and lost their unique identity, their language and their vibrant artistic culture. The Pictish nation seemingly vanished, leaving few traces but many unanswered questions. The most puzzling of these questions surround the great monuments that still survive in the landscape of modern Scotland: standing stones decorated with incredible skill and covered with enigmatic symbols. These stones are the vivid memorials of a powerful and gifted people who have bequeathed no chronicles to tell their story, no sagas to describe the deed of their kings and heroes.
- Sales Rank: #1222054 in Books
- Published on: 2013-06-03
- Original language: English
- Dimensions: 7.80" h x .75" w x 5.24" l, .56 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 240 pages
About the Author
Tim Clarkson worked in academic librarianship before setting up a business with his wife. He gained an MPhil in archaeology (1995) and a PhD in medieval history (2003) from the University of Manchester. He is author of 'The Men of the North' (2010) and 'The Makers of Scotland' (2012).
Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
An excellent book for the layman and no poke in the eye for scholars
By Slaeghunder
The Picts are often presented to us as an enigmatic race - exotic, almost alien compared to their contemporary neighbors in Northern Britain. A strange and mysterious people of unknown origins, speaking a bizarre language and possessed of strange customs and appearance. But as is often the case, the truth is not nearly as sensational as the fictions that compete to take it's place.
The story of the Picts, though it does possess many points of uncertainty (wherein dwell as many theories as there are minds to ponder them) is not the unfathomable mystery that it's sometimes made out to be. The Picts are not so lost to us that they defy study. Though they rather abruptly appear in recorded history only to fade away a few centuries later, they did not disappear in a fiery cataclysm. Pictland was no Atlantis.
Clarkson's book is not as scholarly an endeavor as some may prefer - it is intended, in his own words, not to be an academic text book but rather "a narrative history presented as an unfolding sequence of events". It is the story of the Picts, - a chronological one - from their first mention in history to their last, and of the legacy they left behind as they melted into the pot of Gaels and Brythonic tribes that would become the Scottish people. It's a story and a legacy that belongs to anyone able to trace their ancestry to Scottish soil.
The Author uses a "King List" that begins in the 4th century and ends in the 9th - a list which survived in a number of manuscripts and is in many places supported by other contemporary sources. These other sources range from Bedes' Ecclesiastical History of the English People and the Irish Annals, to the Vitate Columbae - the Life of Saint Columba; the founder of the monastery at Iona which became the focal point of Pictish Christianity after their conversion.
He builds from these sources and supports the resulting framework with archeological data where he is able - a process which enables him to complete a broad but comprehensive narrative of Pictish history and place it in the context of contemporary people and events. In the course of this narrative, he examines facts and theories about their language, art, and customs.
He achieves continuity in his narrative by choosing ONE theory (from any number of contenders) for any point of the subject matter where sparse or ambiguous information can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. The author is good about pointing out when he's doing this and often may describe several alternative points of view. Additionally, in the back of the book he includes a list entitled "Some Pictish Puzzles" which describes 16 issues where such ambiguity has created points of contention among historians.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and felt it gives the reader a firmer foundation from which to approach further study of the Picts.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
A good overview and a good starting point
By JPS
This little book (228 pages all told, with just above 200 pages of main text) is both a good starting point for someone who knows little about the Picts and the multiple issues that relate to them, and a rather good overview for someone who might already be acquainted with them.
This is partly because the author's narrative is clear, well-told and interesting, even if not always easy to follow. It is also because the story of the Picts is told in a simple and unpretentious way, with Tim Clarkson making no mystery about his preferred versions while not pretending that his views are necessarily the right ones. In fact, one of the book's appendices contains a little list of some sixteen items where there are debates between historians with the view he believes and the alternative being both presented.
Another merit of this book is the care taken by the author to explain the "mystery of the Picts" and the reasons for which we know so little about them. One is these is that we simply have not a single written text from them. Another is that more than a few stories told and events about the Picts came from one or the other of their neighbours and enemies. These often had an interest in slanting the story and misrepresenting what happened. At least according to the author, they definitely did it on a number of occasions.
You may disagree with some (or even most) of the views expressed and defended by the author. They are some points that I found not entirely convincing such as the notion that the Dal Riada aka "Scots" were not from Ireland but instead were a pre-established Briton population. Maybe there is some middle-ground that could be also considered? Maybe they were a mix of both, with the Irish war-bands, probably always a minority, taking over the country and lording it over the majority of the pre-existing populations? Making you Wonder and think about what the most plausible explanation might be to the various issues raised and discussed across the book is not the least of this book's many qualities.
In most instances, however, the author makes a good case that seems convincing. Whether it happens to be correct or not, of course, is an entirely different matter that we will probably never be able to establish, given the paucity of the evidence. Whatever the "truth", the author was, with this little book, highly successful in several respects as far as I was concerned.
First, he makes the topic sufficiently interesting - at times I read it as a kind of detective story - to engage the reader. In itself, this is no mean achievement because the text could easily have been dry, over scholarly and technical, or a mix of both. Second, the explanations he comes up with are mostly clear and plausible. There are few - if any - convoluted theories. Third, while it is quite obvious that the author is passionately interested in his subject, there is no controversy, no acrimony and no criticism and personal attacks levelled against any of those who might defend any of the alternative explanations that the author does not retain.
This little book has additional merits, however, and these are perhaps even more important. One is to show that the Picts were far from the common folklore "Barbarians" that they were traditionally believed to be. Another point demonstrates that their origins are not as mysterious as initially thought and that they were not, of course, from Scythia originally. A third element shows to what extent they were formidable, with some of their over-kings being rather outstanding warlords that were capable of imposing their domination over all of the north of Britain.
Finally, for those looking for more, a relatively short but rather up to date bibliography (the most recent titles date from 2009) is also provided. For all this, and for the interest that this book was able to generate, I believe it is a rather excellent introduction and overview even if, here and there, some points may be simplified, questionable or controversial. Five stars.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Good book.
By E. Gray
Better presented than most with researched lines and factual representations. Admittedly, it focuses primarily on the medieval representations of the Picts and foregoes early legends or cultural comparisons with their Celtic cousins. Slightly disappointing if you wanted something regarding similarities there. Still good though.
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