Archaeologists excavating a Pictish barrow cemetery near Tarradale, in Easter Ross, Scotland. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Barrow cemeteries in Scotland date to the late Iron Age (starting from around 250-200 B.C.) and early medieval period. They seem to be confined to areas known to have been inhabited by the Picts (i.e. north of the Forth-Clyde Isthmus). They include both round and square barrows surrounded by ditches. Aside from Scotland, the only other part of Britain where square barrow burials can be found is the East Riding of Yorkshire, which is known to have hosted a colony of the Gallic Parisii people. Otherwise, square barrows are only known from northeastern Gaul, with the closest parallels to Pictish funeral practices found in the Belgic regions. This and other finds have caused archaeologists to speculate about the possible entry of a Belgic aristocracy into Scotland. Possible Belgic presence and influence also predates the barrows, with flat-rimmed pottery and exotic Hallstatt-style metalwork appearing in Scotland as far back as the 7th century B.C. Archaeologists have referred to this as the “Abernethy Culture”. Scotland seems to have been in a two-way relationship with Gaul, as the Scottish style of building timber-laced forts —which began to appear around that time— was apparently exported to Gaul, where it became known as “Murus Gallicus”. The La Téne style craftsmanship that later appeared in Scotland from around 200 B.C. onwards is also most closely paralleled by that of eastern England. Archaeology thus seems to paint a picture of the Picts as being much like their fellow Britons in eastern England, a Britano-Belgic people. Unlike England, though, the Scottish genetic data would suggest that the Gallo-Belgic component was minimal, being confined to an aristocratic elite, while most of the population was primarily of native Briton descent. The Gallic paternal bloodline R1b-U152 can be found in eastern Scotland, particularly in areas like Fife, Angus, the Mearns, Lothian, the Borders, and Atholl. However, it’s hard to know if this represents an Iron Age Gallic contribution, or that of Norman settlers coming in the later medieval period; possibly it’s both.

https://t.me/CelticEurope