Today the settlement of Rhynie in Aberdeenshire is a quiet rural village, but a decade of archaeological research has revealed that it was once home to a Pictish royal centre with connections stretching across Europe.
Today the settlement of Rhynie in Aberdeenshire is a quiet rural village, but a decade of archaeological research has revealed that it was once home to a Pictish royal centre with connections stretching across Europe.
Now a new crowd-funded book Rhynie, A Powerful Place of Pictland has been published that will bring to life the people and settlements that once covered the dramatic hilltop settlement of Tap o’ Noth and the Upper Strathbogie Valley.
Over 10 years, excavations led by the University of Aberdeen’s Northern Picts project have transformed understanding of Rhynie and its role in the emergence of early medieval power in northern Britain, revealing the scale and sophistication of Pictish settlements and reshaping the accepted history of early medieval Scotland.
Far from being an isolated rural community, discoveries and research presented in the book has demonstrated that Rhynie was once a vibrant centre of political authority, international connectivity and elite craftsmanship.
Rhynie, A Powerful Place of Pictland has beenpublished by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland following a successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign which saw more than 400 people contribute over £18,000 to create a printed version of this important archaeological research.
The book highlights discoveries made at the sites since the Northern Picts project began work at Rhynie in 2011, including work to interpret the area’s important Pictish stones which include the Rhynie Man and the Craw Stane.
Excavations also uncovered rare Mediterranean and Continental imports, including glass vessels from western France and evidence for the drinking of wine, demonstrating that the Picts were active participants in long-distance exchange networks that stretched from the Byzantine world to Ireland and western Britain. Discoveries of intricate metalwork, including an axe-shaped pin echoing the weapon carried by the Rhynie Man, ceramic moulds used to cast metal jewellery, and stone vessels for refining silver, provide further evidence of the site’s elite status.
Objects associated with ritual, ceremony and burial, together with the international connections of the site and its artefacts, and the place-name Rhynie which comes from the early Celtic word for king, led the archaeologists to the conclusion that Rhynie was once a significant royal seat of Pictish power.
The surrounding landscape has also yielded extraordinary revelations. At Tap o’ Noth, overlooking the village, archaeologists have identified one of the largest ancient settlements ever discovered in Scotland. Drone surveys and laser mapping revealed up to 800 hut platforms within a vast 17-hectare hillfort enclosure, suggesting a population that may have comprised thousands of people in the fifth and sixth centuries AD. This challenges long-held assumptions about the scale of early medieval communities and further positioned Rhynie and its environs as a major centre of population and political organisation during the formation of the Pictish kingdoms.
Professor Gordon Noble who has led the research said: “When we began work at Rhynie, we knew it was significant but we had no idea just how important it would turn out to be. What we’ve uncovered is the footprint of a major royal centre, a place that played a pivotal role in the formation of the Pictish kingdoms.
“For decades, people assumed early medieval northern Scotland was sparsely populated and politically fragmented. Rhynie shows us something very different – a powerful, organised place with large settlements and sophisticated connections with the wider world.
“Rhynie, A Powerful Place of Pictland brings together over ten years of excavation and scientific analysis to tell the full story of this remarkable landscape.”
Dr Helen Spencer FSAScot, Head of Research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said: "At the heart of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland’s mission is a commitment to empowering research and disseminating knowledge of the past. We are, therefore, immensely proud to publish this nationally important monograph, which will have a major impact on the study of Pictish kingship and society.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to all the funders who made this publication possible, especially to the public and our Fellows (members), whose support of the crowdfunding campaign ensured the physical preservation of this work and its inclusion in UK national libraries."
Dr Gemma Cruickshanks, Post-Excavation Officer at National Museums Scotland, where the objects found at Rhynie were sent for analysis and research, said: “Analysis of the many moulds and crucibles left behind by Rhynie’s metalworkers reveal the site was also a centre for the production of hundreds of high-status metal objects.
“These were mainly jewellery such as pins, brooches and rings but also small boar and wolf figurines which have never been found before. The details of these finds reveal an exceptional level of skill and artistry which is unparalleled in Scotland during this period. Other finds, like pottery and glass vessels from the Mediterranean and quern stones for grinding grain, illustrate extensive trade networks and daily life at Rhynie.”
To read the e-book or buy a physical copy of Rhynie, A Powerful Place of Pictland, visit www.socantscot.org/rhynie
The publication of Rhynie, A Powerful Place of Pictland was made possible thanks to Historic Environment Scotland, The Pictish Arts Society, the Hunter Historical and Archaeological Trust and the crowdfunding campaign backers.