Painted Pebbles in Early Scotland by Anna Ritchie

Painted pebbles in early Scotland by Anna Ritchie

Painted pebble clasa e f artefacso sar t uniqu northero et n Scotlan firse th t n dmillenniui m AD. They are small rounded beach pebbles of quartzite, which have been painted with simple dar w whice rathedesigne kno dy dy s browha i re n staise i thath colourn ne th f i no ns th i t I . dye itself which has survived, and it has consequently proved impossible to analyse the con- stituents used. The pebbles selected for painting range in size from 18 mm by 22 mm to 65 mm by 51 mm. Excavations over the last ninety years have yielded a total of nineteen painted pebbles, l froal m Northere siteth n si n Caithnessn i Isle r o s . Wit e exceptiohth example on f no e from Buckquoy in the Orkneys, all have come from broch sites where there are extensive remains of post-broch buildings Buckquoe Th . y pebbl associates wa e ) (no; p42 i 13 .d wit occupatioe hth n ohousa f e date stratigraph y ogam-inscriben b da y b d yan d spindle-whor late th e o seventt l h and early eighth centuries AD. A similar date is assigned to one of the painted pebbles from U | PROCEEDING 8 29 THF SO E SOCIETY, 1971-2 Jarlshof (no. 19), which came from the secondary cobbling in the entrance to the late wheelhouse- period byre othee pebbleo Th . rtw s from Jarlshof were associated wit occupatioe hth wheelf no - house 1 and belong to the earlier part of the wheelhouse period at Jarlshof, dating approxi- matel thire th fift o dt o y t h centuries AD (nos 17-18). Eleven painted pebbles were found during Sir Francis Tress Barry's excavations of brochs Keise th n si are Caithnesf ao s (nos 2-12). Ther soms ei e confusion surrounding their provenance, impossibls certaii e b t i o t d nw an whicbroce eno th f ho site involvede sar . Accordin Barryo gt , they came from four brochs (Barry 1899,191), whereas Anderson publisheo ,wh excavationse dth , states that three brochs were involved (1901, 145). Anderson illustrates five pebbles, captioned 'fro Keise mth s broch originae ' ; identifiablth (1901 , 11)t 22 8 g , bu ,l5 fi , plat, 3 e, e 2 wit s hno in the possession of the Society of Antiquaries of London shows that the caption contains a misprin should an t d read 'fro Keise mth s brochs' (Brown Portfolio 67)p , . Accompanying this plate in the Brown Portfolio is an unpublished coloured drawing labelled 'Painted stones from the Keiss brochs 1895-7', which illustrates three pebbles, nos 4, 7 and 10. Anderson states that three pebbles came fro Westee mth r broch (1901 source informatios , th hi 121) d f eo an , s nwa probably a letter addressed to him from J M Joass, dated 30th September 1895 at Golspie, which is in the possession of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (Joass 1895). Included in this lette e sketchear r f fouo s r painted pebbles, thre f whico e captionee har d 'Wester broch' (no fourte sth 3-5d h )an 'Roa d broch Caithnese ' Th (no . 2) . s Inventory supports this attribution of some pebble Westee t leassth a Road o t t an r d sites t recordbu , s five from Weste thred an r e from the Road broch (RCAMS 1911, nos 513 and 517); the source of this information is unknown. There is a label on pebble no. 6 which reads 'Wester', so this may be one of the five mentioned Inventorye inth , together wit three hth e identified fro Joase mth s letter (nos 3-5). Some fact t leasa s t emerge from these confused records elevee th f nO . painted pebblen si NMAe th S collection attribute Keise th o sdt brochs identifiee , b eigh n ca t d from illustrations datin beforo gt e 1901 (nos 2-5, 7-8, 10-11) . pebblee Somth f o e s came from excavationt a s Wester (nos 3-5 and probably no. 6) and at the Road broch (no. 2). Barry himself is convincingly specifi statinn ci paintege th tha l al td pebbles came from secondary buildings outsid broche eth s and were found separately (1899, 191); they can therefore be dated to the post-broch period. excavatione Th t Burriasa Nortn ni h Ronaldsay yielde painteo dtw d pebbles (nos 14-15), t therrecoro n bu s ei f thei do r precise provenanc sitee th ; n there o secondar s ewa y occupation withi broce nth h itself post-brocd an , h buildings outsid broce eth h were also explored. painteA d pebbl founewas d durin recengthe t excavation Crosskirsat k broc Caithneshin s t cami (no ; e1) . fro mmiddea n deposit behin drefacina innee th f broce ro g walth d f han o l belonged to the period of the occupation of the broch (information from Dr H Fairhurst). earln A y dats beeeha n attribute pebble th o dt e from Clickhimi Shetlann ni d (no. 16), implicatione th t bu provenancs it f so arguablee ear foun s middea wa n dt i I . nbeace layeth n ho r outside the wall of the ring-fort, and was assigned by Hamilton to the fort period, c 400-0 BC (1968, 8, 79), although in this trench, which was c 20 m square, only two other objects attributed fore th t o periot d were same founth en di laye fragmena ( r f inciseo t d whalebon shera d dean of pottery). Redepositio f objectno a resul s f a wateso t r disturbanc s perhapsei a possibilit y here. Dating context thue sar s know totae seventeer th nnineteef fo o lf o t nou n painted pebbles; two may be as early as the last few centuries BC, while the other fifteen belong to the period between the abandonment of brochs, broadly c 200 AD, and the eighth century AD. It is surely legitimate therefore to regard painted pebbles primarily as a constituent of material culture in N Scotland in the historical Pictish period. SHORTER NOTES | 299 The motifs employed on painted pebbles are simple though carefully executed. The most common motifs are dots and wavy lines (nos 1, 3-5, 7-8, 14-15, 16-18), and small circles appear alone on two examples (nos 13, 19). A pentacle motif appears on no. 3, and this, together with involutee th bees ha d nPictise , linlinketh 16 f e. o hmoti t dno symbo ar witn o fe hth l repertoire (Thomas 1963, 46-8) pentacle th ; alss eha o been found incise pebbla n do e fro broce mth f ho Burrian, a site which has also yielded an example of Pictish symbols incised on an ox phalange (Traill 1890, 352, 361; Ritchie , 1969G N , J ,132 , pcrescente i lObTh . c) ,severa n Keisse o th f slo pebbles provide another close link with Pictish art (nos 6-7, 9), and triangles appear on nos 9-10 motife Th . s use painten do d pebble mostle sar y curvilineareminentle ar l al d y an ,suite d to the medium of paint applied to convex surfaces of very restricted size. Painted pebble inherentle sar y non-functional artefact literae th n si l sense theid ,an r interpretation must necessaril speculativee yb . Hamilto suggestes nha d that they were designe slinge b o dt - stones made more potenadditioe th y tb magif no tribar co l emblems (1968,79,104),citingclassical Greek evidence in support of the idea. Thirteen surviving examples is not a very impressive total for sling-stones therd an , independens ei t local evidenc supporo et alternativn a t e explanation, that painted pebbles were charm-stones, which seems to the present writer to be more plausible. A belief in the efficacy of attractive pebbles as aids in curing sickness survived in Scotland until recent times; often know s 'cold-stones'na , these were natural pebbles selecte r theidfo r aesthetic shap colourationd ean thed an ,y were used particularl 'helpo yt curinn i ' g sick animals (Hutcheson 1900). Water into which suc hpebbla beed eha n dippe believes dwa havo dt e healing powers when given to sick cattle to drink; the pebble acted as an omen as well, for if it dried quickl animae yth l would recove rt driei swiftlyf i dd slowlan , animae yth l would make onlya slow recovery. One such stone preserved in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland ) belonge17 farmea O o N d t . ovaAngun n (NMe 1870si a r no th s l i t n lighAt si i ca ; t brown , whic farmee mm hth 3 pebble6 ry b kep smala 2 4 n ,i t l leathe suspendeg rba d roun necks dhi . beliee Th charm-stonen i f strono s s earln gi swa y medieval Icelan incors wa d- w thala a t porated int twelfth-centure oth y Gragas r law-booko , , forbiddin practice gth pain e o minof no r outlawry (Steffenson 1968, 192). Magic stones also figure in Icelandic sagas (e.g. Laxdaela Saga, Magnusso Palssod nan n 1969, 191-2laten i d r Icelandi)an c folk-tales (Simpson 1972, 46-7). More important than this medieval and later evidence for charm-stones is the tradition preserve Adomnan'n di s Life t oColumbaS f which indicate beliesa holn i f y stone perioa t sa d contemporary with archaeological find f painteo s d pebbles. Adomnan recorde dstora y about St Columba which originated when the saint was in Pictland c 565 AD, visiting the court of king Bridei (Anderso Andersod nan n 1961, 399-405; boo I chakI p 33) tooe H . kwhita e stone from the river Ness, blessed it, and instructed that the water into which it had been dipped be given sico t k peopl orden ei curo t r e them royae stone keps th Th . n el wa i t uses treasurwa d d yan many times to cure people - though it could never be found when needed by people 'whose tim come'd eha , including Bridei himself. likels i t I y that this story reflect contemporara s y climat thoughf eo Pictlann i t whicn di h idee f pebbleth ao s acquiring special meano propertien y b s s alienswa . Columba's pebbls ewa not painted, but it does provide a convincing context for the painted pebbles found on archaeological sites.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am greatly indebted to Dr H Fairhurst and Mr D B Taylor for their kindness in allowing me to include the painted pebble from Crosskirk prior to publication and in providing information 300 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1971-2 about its provenance. I am also very grateful to my husband, Dr J N Graham Ritchie, for drawing to my attention the manuscripts in the collections of the Societies of Antiquaries of Londo Scotlandd nan .

CATALOGUE 1 Crosskirk, Caithness 02570D N 1 Dots over entire surface Information from Dr H Fairhurst; DBS (1970), 19-20 2 Roadbroch, Keiss,3 50 CaithnessA G 34861D A N NM 5 diamm 31m ; encircle othee th n r do sidee t croson ,do n curso d an l Joass 1895; Anderson 1901, fig 22; Thomas 1963, 46-7, fig 3, 14; Hamilton 1968, fig 37, 4 3 Wester broch, Keiss, Caithness ND 338583 NMA GA 502 ; soli sidee dmm doton 1 ,4 n pentacl5y so 4 b e othe e motith n ro f Joass 1895; Anderson 1901, fig 22; Thomas 1963, 46-7, fig 3, 11; Hamilton 1968, fig 37, 3 4 Wester broch, Keiss, Caithness ND 338583 NMA GA 504 39 by 32 mm; solid dots over entire surface Joass 1895; Brown Portfolio, p 67 5 Wester broch, Keiss, Caithness 33858D N 3 NMA GA 511 ; solidmm 1 dot5 6y s5 b ove r entire surface Joass 1895; Anderson 1901 22g fi ,; Hamilto2 n , 196837 g fi , Wester? 6 broch, Keiss,9 50 A CaithnessG A NM 43 by 39 mm; crescent, arc and two circles on one side, curving line on the other Labelled 'Wester' 7 Keiss brocks, Caithness NMA GA 505 ; solidmm dotside2 e circled 2 on 2sy an , 8 b n othee soli so th dn r o crescent t do d san Brown Portfolio7 6 p , 8 Keiss brochs,6 50 A CaithnessG A NM diamm 48m ; solid dots over entire surface Anderson 1901, fig 22 9 Keiss brochs, Caithness NMA GA 507 42 by 28 mm; triangle on one side, crescent enclosing solid crescent on the other Thomas 1963, 46-7, fig 3, 10 0 1 Keiss brochs, Caithness G8 A A50 NM diamm 22m ; solid trianglsidee on , n circleo e enclosing triangl othee th rn eo Brown Portfolio7 6 p , 11 Keiss brochs, Caithness NMA GA 510 41 by 35 mm; two curls on one side, subdivided semicircle on the other Anderson ; Thoma 190122 g fi , s 19632 ,1 46-7, 3 g fi , 2 1 Keiss brochs,2 51 A CaithnessG A NM crosd an sc witar ; h dotmm 6 s4 betwee5y 5b n arms, decoratio side on e onln no y Thomas 1963, 46-7, fi, 13g3 ; Hamilto7 n , 196837 g fi , 13 Buckquoy, Birsay, Orkney 24328Y H 2 mm5 3 y ; b circle 0 4 s over entire surface Medieval Archaeol, 15 (1971), 137; Ritchie, A, forthcoming 14 Burrian, N Ronaldsay, Orkney HY 762514 NMA GA 67 22 mm diam; 'crazy-paving' lines over entire surface Traill 1890, 352; Hamilton 1968, fig 37, 5; MacGregor forthcoming SHORTE1 R NOTE30 | S 15 Burrian, N Ronaldsay, Orkney HY 762514 NMA GA 67 mm8 1 2y ;2 b fiv e side e circlesolio on tw ,othede n so dotth n rso Traill 1890, 352; Hamilton 1968, fig 37, 6; MacGregor forthcoming 16 Clickhimin, Shetland HU 463408 65 by 46 mm; curving and involuted lines over entire surface Hamilton 1968, 79, 86, fig 37, 1 17 Jarlshof, Shetland HU 398095 NMA HSA 4105 60 by 59 mm; involuted lines and solid dots on one side, curving lines and solid dots on the other Hamilton ; Thoma c 1956 , , p9 xv i, 64 ,3 s g 1963fi , 46 , 18 Jarlshof, Shetland HU 398095 NMA HSA 4107 diamm 26m ; solid dots over entire surface Hamilton 19564 8 , 19 Jarlshof, Shetland HU 398095 NMA HSA 4108 32 by 23 mm; circles over entire surface Hamilton 1956, 77, fig 39

REFERENCES Anderson, A O and Anderson, M O (edd) 1961 Adomnaif s Life of St Columba. Anderson J , 1901 'Notice f nino s e brochs alon Caithnese gth s coast from Skirzo t Keis y asBa Head excavate Francir Si y db s Tress Barry', Proc Antiqc So Scot, (1900-1)5 3 , 112-48. Barry, Sir F Tress 1899 (Notes on painted pebbles from the Keiss brochs), Proc Soc Antiq Land, 17 (1897-9), 191-2. Brown Portfolio. Brown Portfolio Scotland, MSS, Society of Antiquaries of London. Hamilton C 195 R 6J , Excavations Jarlshof,t a Shetland. Edinburgh. Hamilton, J R C 1968 Excavations at Clickhimin, Shetland. Edinburgh. Hutcheson, A 1900 'Notice of a charm-stone used for the cure of diseases amongst cattle in Sutherland', Proc Antiqc So Scot, (1899-1900)4 3 , 483-8. Joass, J M 1895 MS amongst Tress Barry papers, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. MacGregor A forthcomin, g 'The broc f Burrianho , North Ronaldsay, Orkney', Proc Antiqc So Scot, 105 (1972-3), forthcoming. Magnusson, M and Palsson, H 1969 Laxdaela Saga. Ritchie, A forthcoming 'Excavation of Pictish and Norse homesteads at Buckquoy, Birsay, Orkney', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, forthcoming. Ritchie G 196 N 9J , 'Tw Pictisw one h symbol stones from Orkney', Proc Antiqc So Scot, (19681 10 - 1969), 130-3. RCAMS 1911 Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Inventory of Caithness. Edinburgh. Simpson J , 1972 Icelandic Folktales Legends.d an StefFenson, J 1968 'Aspects of life in Iceland in the heathen period', Saga-Book, 17 (1967-8), 177-205. Thomas, C 1963 'The interpretation of the Pictish symbols', Archaeol J, 120 (1963), 31-97. Traill, W 1890 'Results of excavations at the broch of Burrian, North Ronaldsay, Orkney', Archaeol Scotica, (1890)5 , 341-64. Soil phosphorus level t archaeologicasa l sites by J C McCawley and H McKerrell

Phosphat e possibiliteth testsd an y they offer detectinfo r g ancient settlemente th d an s culturan i presenc n ma l f layereo s have been used ofte reported an n detain di l (for summaries