The Picts are best known for their amazing symbol stones which can be found throughout Scotland. However, recent research has uncovered fantastic new elite settlements, discovered Pictish monasteries and even managed to provide dates for these famous stones.
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Destination Archaeology
Travel back into Scotland's past with our guides to unmissable sites and discoveries by region
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Get to grips with the science and techniques behind Scotland’s archaeological stories
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Na làraichean arc-eòlais as fheàrr ann am Barraigh (GHÀIDHLIG)
Leac-chisteachan, barpannan seòmarach, tursachan, caistealan – ma tha thu ga iarraidh, gheibh thu ann am Barraigh e!
Top Archaeological Sites on Barra (English)
Prehistoric cist burials, chambered cairns, standing stones, castles – you want it, Barra’s got it.
Ancient Monuments and Ritual: Six of the Best Henges in Scotland
As one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments, Stonehenge in England may dominate headlines, but you don’t need to travel south of the border to find some of the best henges in Britain.
Five of the Best Hillforts in Scotland
With over 1,000 hillforts waiting to be explored in Scotland, it can be difficult to know where to start. Luckily, we’re here to help.
Top 10 Animals in Scottish Archaeology
Famed not only for its world-class archaeology, Scotland is also known around the globe for its rich and diverse natural history.
TÒRR A BHARRACHD NA DÌREACH CLADHACH: A’ GABHAIL PÀIRT ANN AN ARC-EÒLAS COIMHEARSNACHD ANN AN ALBA (GHÀIDHLIG)
DÈ TH’ ANN AN ARC-EÒLAS COIMHEARSNACHD? Tha arc-eòlas coimhearsnachd air a bhrosnachadh le coimhearsnachdan aig a bheil ùidh san àm a dh’fhalbh agus / no a tha dealasach mun ‘àite’ aca fhèin.
Not Just Digging: What You Need to Know about Community Archaeology in Scotland (English)
WHAT IS COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY? Community archaeology is driven by communities who are led by their passion for the past and/or commitment to their ‘place’.
The Easiest Guide to Scotland’s Archaeological Time Periods and Ages
If you’d like to know more about Scotland’s past, it helps to know a bit more about the different time periods.
‘IS IOMADH SLOC A RINN IAD’: ARC-EÒLAS A’ BHRUSAICH (GHÀIDHLIG)
Chan eil teagamh sam bith ann nach e Rìgh Raibeart I na h-Alba – Raibeart am Brusach mar as aithne dhan mhòr-chuid e – fear de na monarcan as cliùitiche a bh’ aig Alba riamh.
‘Many Pits They Dug’: The Archaeology of Robert the Bruce (English)
King Robert I of Scotland – Robert the Bruce as most of us know him – is undoubtedly one of Scotland’s most celebrated monarchs.
Archaeologists Set to Uncover a Medieval Fortress, 5,000-Year-Old Complex and Scotland’s First Railway
The summer dig season returns with fieldwork planned from Dumfries & Galloway to Shetland.
The remains of Kings and Saints in Dumfries and Galloway
A quiet county with a not-so-quiet history – the following stories behind these seven sites in Dumfries and Galloway might just surprise you.
Why the Romans are Part of Scottish History
“All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a freshwater system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?” – Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
Top Five Mesolithic Discoveries in Scotland
Before humans adopted farming around 6,000 years ago, they lived as mobile hunter-gatherer-fishers. As the name suggests, these people lived off wild natural resources such as animals, nuts, and berries.
UISGE-BEATHA GU LEÒR! ARC-EÒLAS UISGE-BEATHA NA H-ALBA (GHÀIDHLIG)
Tha sgeulachd an uisge-bheatha ann an Alba a’ dol air ais do na meadhan aoisean agus tha i loma-làn eachdraidh is poilitigs. Tha arc-eòlaichean an latha an-diugh ag ionnsachadh barrachd mun dàimh fhada a th’ againn ri uisge-beatha na h-Alba, agus tha fianais air seo ri lorg fon talamh.
GIE IT LALDIE FUR WHISKY! THE ARCHAEOLOGY O SCOTLAND’S ‘WATTER O LIFE’ (SCOTS)
Scotland’s drouth fur a dram gangs aw the wey back tae the Middle Ages and is unjoukably pairt o oor history and politics. Archaeologists the day are discoverin mair and mair anent oor lang-staunin relationship wi whisky – oor ‘watter o life’.
Whisky Galore! The Archaeology of Scotland’s ‘Water of Life’ (English)
The story of whisky distilling in Scotland stretches back to the medieval period and is steeped in history and politics. Today, archaeologists are discovering more about our longstanding relationship with Scotland’s ‘water of life’, the evidence of which is to be found underground.
Reigning Archaeology: Top Sites and Artefacts Connected to Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots has received the attention of both scholars and popular media for decades, including the recent Reign series and Mary Queen of Scots film.
Five of the Best Archaeology Projects at the National Trust for Scotland
2021 marks the 90th anniversary of the National Trust for Scotland and close to 30 years of having an in-house archaeology team.
FO BH-UAIGH: ÀRC-EÒLAS NAN TÌODHLACAIDHEAN AIR RAOINTEAN-BLÀIR NA H-ALBA (GHÀIDHLIG)
Mar àrc-eòlaich nan raointean-blàir, thèid faighneachd orm gu tric carson nach lorg sinn barrachd thìodhlacaidhean air raointean-blàr? Leughaidh sinn mu na ceudan no fiù ’s na mìltean a’ faighinn bàs air an raon-bhlàir ach a dh’aindeoin sin, chan eil e coltach gu bheil mòran fianais àrc-eòlach againn.
Of Grave Concern: The Archaeology of Burials on Scotland’s Battlefields (English)
A question I am often asked as a battlefield archaeologist is, why do we not find more burials on battlefields? We read about hundreds, if not thousands, of people being killed on the battlefield and yet in Scotland we don’t seem to have much in the way of archaeological evidence.
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