Rhynie Man carries an axe over his shoulder, has a large nose and sharp teeth bared in a grimace.
A 6ft Pictish stone engraved with an axe-wielding figure was ploughed up by farmer Kevin Alston at Barflat, near Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, #OTD in 1978. ‘Rhynie Man’ is believed to date from the 5/6thC. #medievalsky
Two black and white photographs side by side showing different aspects of a standing stone. Both stone faces are carved with a range of symbols throughout, mainly geometric patters, including three-dimensional bosses marking out the shape of a cross, and a range of carvings depicting scenes involving animals and humans. The stone is surrounded by a protective glass enclosure. In the background bits of scenerey, including the nearby sea are visible.
A Pictish Pilgrimage To Shandwick Stone
New blog post by our Prof @downham.bsky.social reflecting on a journey to the Shandwick Stone on Scotland's Tarbat Peninsular, a spectacular example of early medieval stone carvings.
✍️ www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie...
Title page, stating: Kathleen Hughes Memorial Lectures 20 Elizabeth Boyle The Moral Economy in Early Medieval Ireland Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic & Hughes Hall University of Cambridge
Proofs! Hoping this will be out soon ... #MedievalSky
A single sheet document containing the text of a will in Old English.
'Wynflaed's Will', the earliest surviving woman's will in British history, made in the 940s. Its bequests include tapestries, jewelry, bedclothes and books for her daughter Æthelflæd.
Cotton Ch VIII 38
searcharchives.bl.uk/catalog/040-...
New Irish Studies blogpost about a Pictish stone published today www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie... #scotland #picts #medievalsky #archaeology
Had a marvelous time today giving a fully seated lunch lecture at the museum about the Early Viking Age trading site of Köpingen, which has been completely unknown in scholarship abroad — I am to change that, with renewed fieldwork hopefully coming in autumn, pending funding! ⚱️
Thurs 26 March, Prof. Fiona Edmonds will deliver the 2026 John Bannerman Memorial Lecture (in-person and online), on a topic close to Bannerman's own work: 'Dál Riata and Northumbria, c. 700‒1000: Connections and comparisons'.
Tuilleadh fiosrachaidh | More info 👇
hca.ed.ac.uk/john-bannerm...
The obverse face features a large shafted Christian cross with hollow angles which spans the full width of the face and the majority of its length. The front of the stone is the most weathered face as, having been laid face-down, this portion of the stone was subjected to many years of cyclical wetting and drying. However, panels of decorative interlace and entangled zoomorphic creatures are still visible around the cross. Above the cross lies a narrow upper section which depicts the confronting heads of two fanged beasts. The Conan beasts have anatomically specific teeth – they have molars, canines and incisors – and feature dangling interlace from their mouths, perhaps representing their tongues or snakes. The reverse face depicts a range of different real and mythical creatures. In the upper left corner, approximately one fifth of the surface has been deliberately chipped away and re-inscribed with the names Hugh McAulay and Alexander McAulay, together with the date January 2 1796. This Pre-Reformation inscription obscures what may once have been a full-width serpent and Z-rod Pictish symbol, the floriated terminals of which are still visible as is the double disc and Z-shaped symbol below. To the side sits a small S-shaped figure matching the hippocampus (symbol no.159) in ECMS. The remaining space is occupied by rows of paired beasts: a kneeling figure with an animal head that often appears on Pictish cross-slabs, and is often termed the ‘formidable man’, faces a now headless centaur with two axes and a small cauldron-like object stands between them. Below, a pair of quadrupeds also face each other and two oxen with large U-shaped horns face rightwards. Interlace appears on both the narrow east and west faces of the stone. On the west face, the interlace terminates just beyond the half way point to give way to an angular key pattern.
Discovered in 2019, this 1,200-year-old Pictish cross-slab featuring real and mythical creatures was reused as a gravestone in the Highlands in the 18th century 🪦
Dig into the story with the North of Scotland Archaeological Society in Inverness on 19 March: www.digitscotland.com/events/not-a...
This is such a cool idea #medievalsky
one of my favourite wee historical fellas
Romans after Rome!
Teaching post in Cultural Heritage at our Department: www.abdnjobs.co.uk/vacancy/teac...
Charlemagne’s Failed Invasion of Spain, 777–778 www.medievalists.net/2026/03/char... #militaryhistory #medieval #Charlemagne
Shandwick Pictish stone today - very lucky with the weather. We left the car behind and walked from Fearn station to get a better feel for the landscape context. Nice views along the coast #medievalsky #archaeology
I certainly wasn’t expecting this article in the Guardian on the Milan fashion week to have a final section on Sutton Hoo
Photo of a group of people in all-weather clothing listening to a tour guide outside
Fellows of the Society help support the study and enjoyment of Scotland's past while enjoying a range of exclusive benefits.
Submit your completed application by 28 February to become part of this global network of people passionate about history and archaeology: www.socantscot.org/join/how-to-...
#medievalsky
Hilton of Cadboll - replica Pictish stone by an ancient chapel site that was used for the burial of unbaptised infants and suicide victims upto the 18th century. This is a fascinating stone for its central depiction of a woman. Original in National Museum #Scotland #medievalsky #archaeology
That was a tour-de-force paper by @laurysarti.bsky.social, reminding us that the Franks were no less "Roman" than the Byzantines.
Early Medieval England and its Neighbours has had some cracking new articles published in the last week, including on movement of manuscripts in the eighth century and charter forgery at Westminster, as well as an impressive debut article on Byrhtferth of Ramsey: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Uncover the extraordinary results of archaeological investigations at Rendlesham, Suffolk, which offer new perspectives on early English society and the origins of the English kingdoms. Pre-order your copy of this royally good read ➡️ bit.ly/4bareyK
Another review of my edited volume Pre-Conquest History and its Medieval Reception has just appeared. Menendez runs a thorough eye over each chapter:
scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/ind...
The ebook is downright affordable from @boydellandbrewer.bsky.social.
boydellandbrewer.com/book/pre-con...
Centre for Scandinavian Studies, Lund University, and Kulturen will be holding their next CSS International Conference, "Nordic Romanticism and Viking Culture", in Lund 10–13 June 2026. Our own Alan Macniven will be a keynote speaker for this amazing Conference.
Exploring the Salme Ship Burials howardwilliamsblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/24/e... #Vikings #Vendel #Salme #Vrak #archaeology #heritage #Merovingian #Estonia #Stockholm
Iona Abbey between hills in the background and the sea in the foreground.
Feb 24: Feast of Cumméne Find, ‘the White’, (†669), abbot of Iona. He was said to have written a book about Columba’s miraculous powers. His abbacy coincided with the Synod of Whitby in 664. Faílbe mac Pípáin succeeded him. 📸August Schwerdfeger #medievalsky
Great to see Dr Murray Cook writing about the Glorious Govan Stones and Govan Old, the spectacular early medieval oasis of carved stone monuments amid a *surviving* 1,500-year-old graveyard.
We open for the 2026 season on April 1st, so start to make your plans!
open.substack.com/pub/stirling...
We are hiring ....
Because John Nightingale is retiring...
for a Tutorial Fellowship in European History 400-1000...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQP650/t...
The Tune ship in its steel rig, suspended from a rail, about to enter the new building of the Museum of the Viking Age. Photo: Museum of the Viking Age, University of Oslo
Interior shot of the steel rig containing the Tune ship Photo: Museum of the Viking Age, University of Oslo
The Tune ship in its steel rig, suspended from a rail, slowly making its way towards the new museum building. Photo: Museum of the Viking Age, University of Oslo
Following the earlier Oseberg and Gokstad ship relocations, the Tune ship, snug in its steel rig, has started its journey into the new Museum of the Viking Age (@uio.no) today. Over the course of three days, it will travel a total of 130 metres at a top speed of c. 24 cm per minute.
Proceedings of the 40th Interdisciplinary Viking Symposium - 3 May 2023 in Odense:
”Travelling Viking Age”
museumodense.dk/wp-content/u...
