Stone Age and Bronze Age Scotland

The quantity and quality of sites of this period in Scotland, from Shetland to Galloway, is impressive and there is a diverse range of books which describe, illustrate and explain the culture and lives of Scotland's earliest inhabitants. The Stone Age is archaeologically divided into the Mesolithic, or middle stone age 8000 - 4000 BC, and Neolithic or new stone age, 4000 BC - 2000 BC. The Bronze Age lasted from 2000 - 750 BC.

The general books on Scottish archaeology such as Scotland, Archaeology and Early History by Graham and Anna Ritchie and Scotland After the Ice Age, by Kevin Edwards and Ian Ralston, all include chapters on the mesolithic period.

While there are relatively few places showing visible traces in the landscape of the earliest people to live in Scotland after the end of the ice age about 12,000 years ago, there are some very good books on this first chapter in the story of Scotland. Wild Harvesters by Bill Finlayson is chronologically the first title in the excellent series 'The Making of Scotland', co-published by Historic Scotland and Birlinn, and is a lively, well-written and illustrated look at the of life and beliefs of the hunter-gatherers who were the first people to live in Scotland. Scotland's First Settlers by Caroline Whickham-Jones is a popular and authoritative account of the current knowledge of the people who lived a nomadic way of life in Scotland for over 4000 years before the beginning of farming. It is part of the major series published by Historic Scotland with Batsford in which leading authors interpret the principal Scottish archaeological and architectural monuments. Mesolithic Lives in Scotland by Graeme Warren is a close examination of the evidence of the Mesolithic lifestyle.

In contrast with the Mesolithic there are so many monuments from the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Scotland it would take years to see them all. From Maes Howe in Orkney, the finest megalithic tomb in Britain and a masterpiece of prehistoric architecture, to the stone circles on Machrie Moor on the Isle of Arran there are monuments the length and breadth of Scotland which rank among the finest prehistoric sites in the world. There are many fine books which discuss and illustrate these marks on the landscape left by Scotland's early people. As there is no definite archaeological divide between the monuments of the Stone and Bronze Ages they are often taken together in books on the period.

Neolithic and Bronze Age Scotland [OP] by Patrick Ashmore tells the story of Scotland from the first farmers to the beginning of the Iron Age. Farmers, Temples and Tombs by Gordon Barclay, another title in the Making of Scotland series, outlines in a clear and understandable way the Neolithic and Early Bronze age in Scotland. Scotland BC by Anna Ritchie is based around the many fine monuments in the care of Historic Scotland. It puts the sites in a broad context so that in travelling through Scotland one can also travel through its deep past. Bronze Age Britain by Mike Parker Pearson, though not just on Scotland, covers both the Neolithic and Bronze Age of Britain. It gives a lively and accessible account of the changes that took place between 4000 and 900 BC. It is particularly good on Neolithic Orkney.

The Picts are the best-known historic people of early Scotland, justly famed for their enigmatic carved symbol stones, found throughout North-East Scotland and the Northern Isles. The name Picti or Painted Ones was given to them by the Romans, who built Hadrian's Wall to keep them out of Roman Britain. The Pictish kingdom was merged with the Gaelic kingdom of Dalriada in AD 843 under the Scottish king Kenneth MacAlpin and the Picts then apparently disappeared from history. However, they left a rich legacy of forts, brochs and decorated standing stones which can be visited and admired today. The artistic heritage of the Picts in sculptured stones and in metalwork is one of the most enduring contributions to Scottish culture of any early peoples.

There is a wealth of books on Pictish art and sites. The Wee Guide to the Picts is a good place to start and The Picts by Anna Ritchie is a lively and profusely illustrated introduction. The Pictish Guide by Elizabeth Sutherland contains a full listing of the symbols and their possible meanings, a complete gazetteer of sites and useful location maps. Pictish Symbol Stones by John Stevenson is a fine account of the artistic legacy of this mysterious people. In Surviving in Symbols Martin Carver looks not just at the stones but also assesses the archaeological and historical traces left by the Picts. Any historically minded visitor to Northern Scotland should have one of these books at their side. Tales of the Picts by Stuart McHardy shows a different view, collecting folk tales of this vanished people, together with memories of battles, warriors and priestesses. There are many other books on the Picts, from local guides to the carved stones of a particular area, of which there are several, to learned tomes on Pictish language and culture. The Lost Language of the Picts [OP] by W.A. Cummins and The Picts and the Scots at War [OP] by Mick Aitchison are two good titles for the reader with a more specialised interest.