The first time I heard about the Picts, the ancient people of the North of Scotland, I was hooked.
My dad told me all about them during a trip to visit family in Aberdeen, and my imagination went into overtime, imagining who they were, and where they lived compared to where I was visiting.
The Ancient Picts of the Scottish Highlands of the Seventh Century, by Michael Sheane, is the exact book that I needed.
In the final quarter of the seventh century the Picts were a vassal nation. Regular offerings of livestock, agricultural produce and other material resources were sent to their powerful neighbour to the south as tribute.
The Romans had been unable to subdue them, but now they no longer seemed formidable.
Even the way they practised their religion was being determined by outsiders. But in these dark days a king emerged who was to lead the Picts to a momentous victory, his triumph at the Battle of Dunnichen ranking as one of the great events of Scottish history.
This book is short, but informative, and is a great insight sharing the facts that we know about these mysterious people, who are now almost mythical.
The Ancient Picts of the Scottish Highlands of the Seventh Century, by Michael Sheane, published by Arthur H Stockwell, £4.95.
[review rating=”4″ align = “left”]
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