Latest news with #Picts
The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Picts and pork netting combine in 'unique' dress design
The Glasgow-based firm approached Heriot-Watt to commission a dress made from its meat netting, one of its most popular products sold across the UK and Europe. Also known as 'butcher's netting,' the synthetic material is used to keep the shape of roasts, pork loin, turkey breasts, beef roasts and other cuts of meat while they cook. Verna was one of six students to submit designs for the commission, but it was her incorporation of the culture of ancient Scotland and creativity that earned her the nod. The Picts lived in northern and eastern Scotland and, although they largely disappeared from historical records in the 9th century, their culture and symbolism continues to influence art and language. Verna Lai stitched together more than 60 metres of synthetic material to create her outfit. (Image: Heriot-Watt University) Verna said that working with a brand-new material required her to bring together everything that she has been learning over the course of her degree so far. 'It was a huge challenge but you never really learn if you don't challenge yourself. 'My outfit has a lot of Scottish cultural inspiration. I was looking at Pictish monograms, which are unique to Scotland, and was able to include them in my design using meat netting tubes. 'This impressed the company who wanted the heritage link but also seemed to like the techniques I would need to use in order to deliver the design.' She used roughly 60 metres of meat netting and a combination of hand and machine stitching to create the tank top, skirt, and cape. Verna's creation made an immediate splash internationally, serving as the showcase piece for Scobie and Junor in Frankfurt, Germany at the meat packaging industry's largest global trade fair. It took Verna only three weeks from design to completion, and she said she came away feeling proud of what was a daunting task. 'It was an incredible relief to hand over the ensemble once it was finished. 'After a couple of days, I started to feel really proud of what I had achieved in such a short space of time and to overcome so many challenges. 'I remember, for example, when I realised how difficult it was going to be using meat netting as a material, and for some of the outfit, I would need to hand stitch, taking up so much time when I also had to juggle my studies. 'I just cried. 'But then you see the garments come together and what I created pretty much was what I planned from the start. 'That's always the goal when you start to create something.' The design impressed Scobie and Junor representatives, who made it the centrepiece of their showcase at a global trade fair. (Image: Heriot-Watt University) Dr Daying Yang, Verna's supervisor and Assistant Professor in Fashion and Fashion Technology at the SOTD, said Verna demonstrated 'exceptional creativity, resilience, and technical skill, transforming an unconventional material into a fashion piece that is both cohesive and rich in cultural reference. 'Verna approached every challenge with determination and clarity of vision, applying the techniques she has learned with ingenuity and purpose. 'Her ability to reimagine a functional product like meat netting into meaningful and visually striking garments is a powerful example of what we aim to nurture at the School of Textiles and Design. 'I'm incredibly proud of what she has achieved.' Scobie and Junor marketing executive Simon Moorhouse said that Verna's design was exactly what the company was looking for when they commissioned a piece. 'This collaboration with Heriot-Watt University has been a brilliant opportunity to support emerging talent while reimagining our products in a completely new light. 'Seeing our meat netting transformed into a striking fashion piece has been both inspiring and thought-provoking. It's a testament to the creativity of the next generation of designers and a reminder that innovation often comes from the most unexpected places.' Following its international debut in Germany, Verna's dress will be displayed at the main entrance of Scobie and Junor's headquarters in Kilbride.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
DNA study reveals mystery of ancient Scots buried at Belgian abbey
What was eventually discerned to be the town's medieval graveyard yielded a snapshot of the people who had lived or travelled to the town and died there since at least 800 AD. But when scientists began to test the lineage of the cemetery's inhabitants, a surprising discovery was made. While the vast majority could be traced to people who lived across the low countries or in Germany, five bodies from the cemetery were identified as coming from much further afield. And researchers have concluded that each – three men and two boys, or juveniles – came from Scotland or possibly Western Ireland. The dig took place in the centre of the town (image: Aron Bvba)But none are related to each other or to anyone else in the graveyard, and were not even buried in the same areas. Now it is thought that the mystery has been solved – hinting at closer links between medieval Scotland and the hinterlands of Europe than was previously thought. Today, St Truiden is a small town far from the coast in the centre of Belgium, with a population of around 40,000. Established in the first Milleneum, it traces its roots back to the establishment of an abbey by St Trudo in the 7th century around a sacred spring said to have healing properties. The town itself grew up around the abbey, becoming established by the mid-800s. It would go on to become a centre of the textile trade, with links across Europe, its stable population interred on top of each other at the same site. 'It's fascinating to see the genetic data from hundreds of years here in one little city,' KU Leuven professor and genealogist Maarten Larmuseau, who co-led the study, told the local Brussels Times. 'We could sample so many individuals from such a long period and same place, making it the biggest study ever for one location.' Graves dating back centuries were discovered (Image: Aron Bvba) The study of the bones' DNA shows that four of the Scots came from between the years 1000 AD to 1286 - with the fifth believed to have originated slightly later. At this time Christianity had deep roots in Scotland, which was becoming established as the Kingdom of Alba as Gaelic domination overrode the realms of the Picts and Britons who also occupied parts of the land. As the bodies found in the graveyard were traced to either Scotland or Ireland, it is likely they were Gaels from the west who had travelled to Europe. The study rules out any links to the well-travelled Vikings, whose DNA samples were also used for comparison, and who settled many parts of Scotland in the centuries prior to the date the bodies were interred. Instead, the study believes the men and boys found in the graveyard were linked to the town's abbey itself, with one buried close to its grounds. READ MORE: 'Exceptional' ancient artefacts uncovered as new golf course takes shape New Viking displays bring Orkney's Norse past to life The study says: 'Contrary to what might be expected based on the abbey's international connections, as noted in its chronicles, and the long-distance trade of products from Sint-Truiden, no long-distance migrants from regions outside Northwest Europe were identified among the genomes we studied. 'Most individuals in Sint-Truiden, based on their clustering with modern-day genomes from Flanders, likely had local origins in the region surrounding Sint-Truiden. 'The only exception in our sample to the predominantly local ancestry profile typical to the Low Countries is a distinct group of five individuals with profiles similar to those from Ireland and Scotland.' It adds: 'Four of the outliers date to 1000–1286 and one to Early Middle Ages, and they were buried separately at the cemetery site. 'All male individuals belonged to the Y chromosome haplogroup R1b2-L21 clade, whose ancestry is uniquely related to the British Isles. 'Despite two of the outliers being juveniles, none of the individuals shared close genetic relationships with each other or anyone else sampled from Sint-Truiden.' The graveyard covered a huge area (Image: Aron Bvba) At this time links religious between Scotland and the continent had become strong, with Benedectine monks establishing abbeys in several locations. Tellingly, the abbey in Sint Truiden was also Benedictine, suggesting the men and boys were monks or at least pilgrims. However, records kept by the abbey make no mention of Scottish connections, which would be expected if there were formal links with Caledonian abbeys. But the other possibility is that the group were stonemasons or carpenters who were plying their trade in Europe at the time the abbey underwent reconstruction, and another large church was built in Sint Truiden. The study says: 'It is plausible that these persons were connected to the Benedictine abbey, although the abbey's chronicles make no mention of connections to Ireland or Scotland. 'Therefore, they may have been specialized craftsmen or pilgrims during the abbey's period of growth when a large church and other parts of the abbey were constructed.' Despite the mystery, the projects leaders remain pleased with the discovery, which represents the first remains of individuals from Scotland in the Low Countries during this period. Aside from the Scots' remains, the DNA study also uncovered some rather more macabre findings. Among the bones dating to the 14th century was the first trace of the lack Death in discovered medieval Flanders. Known to be found in England and in Germany at the time, the discovery is the first time it has been found in the Low Countries or in Flanders. But unlike the plague pits of elsewhere, Individuals with traces of the disease were buried in scattered, individual graves. 'What was really interesting was that they were not buried in a mass grave, but really separated from each other. So maybe people at that time didn't know why they were dying,' Prof Larmuseau said. There is no mention of the plague in the chronicles of the abbey and in the city records in the 14th century, but it is then found in the DNA – which is 'amazing' , says the researcher. However, there was the study also allowed researchers to fit together family trees from long-forgotten remains – finding that many relatives of the same familes were interred in the Cemetry during the centuries. With so many bodies buried over so long a time, it was no surprise that the study allowed researchers to find connections between the bones.
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Travel + Leisure
14-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
T+L's Award-winning Podcast Returns for Season 2—and It's Taking Listeners From Bermuda to Norway
Travel + Leisure 's award-winning podcast, Lost Cultures: Living Legacies , is back with an all-new season filled with episodes highlighting the people who make some of our favorite travel destinations so special and culturally rich. Hosted by T+L's associate editorial director, Alisha Prakash, season two takes listeners on a multi-episode trip through communities whose histories continue to shape the world today. Last season, we heard from cultural experts in New York City's Lower East Side, once the epicenter of immigrant America, and Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, where the Maya still preserve millennia‑old rituals. We ventured to Egypt to learn more about the Nubians, traveled to Louisiana for a bit of Creole backstory, met the mysterious "painted people" known as the Picts—a once-prominent tribe in Scotland that nearly disappeared from history books—shared a conversation with the Taino people of the Caribbean, and sailed to the remote Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) to discover how islanders carry their ancestors' legacy forward. Each episode features engaging conversations with archaeologists, chefs, artists, and local stewards who are working hard to ensure their cultures live on forever. We're expanding our reach in season two, spotlighting more celebrated and little-known cultures. First stop: Bermuda. "Bermuda's living legacy is its people. I think we are pretty special," Dr. Kristy Warren, a Bermudian and professor at the University of Lincoln in England, shares in the episode. "There aren't many of us in the world, and we seem to be able to punch above our weight. We show up in all sorts of areas of life and across the world." From there, we set our sights on Hawaii to meet the Kānaka Maoli, the ultimate ocean navigators, then on to Norway, where the Indigenous Sami await. Then, it's off to Asia to explore the Baghdadi Jewish community of India, back to the U.S. for a conversation with the Indigenous Narragansett community in Rhode Island, and more. Each episode delves into the heart of why we're having these conversations in the first place: What can we learn about a place when we explore the histories of those who once lived there, and live there still? So, go ahead, toss on your headphones, and stay tuned for new episodes each week, with our first episode premiering May 21 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Player FM, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and everywhere podcasts are available.
The National
06-05-2025
- General
- The National
Did Robert the Bruce destroy this Scottish city's castle?
They arrive at Castlegate, which is one of the landmark areas of the city, and ask the obvious question: where is the castle? It's a question I asked when I first visited the city while studying nearby as a teenager some 50 years ago, and today after much research I am going to try to answer that question. That there was a castle in Aberdeen is beyond doubt. Just as with all our Scottish cities, when Aberdeen expanded it did so on the basis of religious foundations, royal patronage, gaining burgh status or similar, and having a fortification. Castlegate That Old Aberdeen had all these attributes is shown by its burgesses being mentioned in documents at the start of the reign of King David I in 1124. By that time the burgh was already trading with the Continent, exporting mainly wool, hides, meal and dried salted fish. As we saw last week, Aberdeen had religious establishments while the Picts still ruled north-east Scotland in the final quarter of the first millennium, and it is known that in 1136 the Bishop of Aberdeen was granted 'tithes' – 10ths of the value – of goods going through the port of Old Aberdeen, suggesting that trade was well established by that time. We also saw last week how Bishop Edward of Aberdeen received a Bull from Pope Adrian IV in 1157, and that either caused or confirmed the establishment of the parish Church of St Nicholas, the patron saint of commerce. Its successor is still considered as being the 'mother kirk' of the city. READ MORE: Large convoy of Belgian army vehicles spotted near Scottish town Aberdeen is also one of the few cities with two patron saints. St Machar was patron of Old Aberdeen, and St Nicholas was acclaimed patron of New Aberdeen, which developed in the 12th and 13th centuries. That Papal Bull also saw Bishop Edward create a team of canons to run his diocese, leading to the building of a 'chanonry' of residences with the area still known by that name. As the history of various towns and cities across Scotland shows, the royals of that period in the early second millennium travelled around from fortification to fortification and installed garrisons to help them control the country. Aberdeen certainly had some kind of castle by the 1150s, because it was in a royal residence there that King Malcolm IV – 'the Maiden' – met with the powerful Viking lord from Orkney, Sweyn Asleifsson or Sveinn Ásleifarson, who Malcolm backed in his various familial disputes over who was really in charge of the Norse areas of Scotland. Some accounts, particularly in the Icelandic-penned Orkneying Saga suggest that Norsemen attacked 'Apardion', as they named it, in 1153, but I think that was just propaganda and the more likely explanation is that King Malcolm and the Vikings agreed some sort of peace treaty. As I wrote last week, Malcolm's successor, William the Lion, gave his designated burgh a charter in 1179 which conferred trading rights and privileges on Aberdeen, and these undoubtedly fuelled the development of the port which began operations from the mouth of the River Dee south of Old Aberdeen. This New Aberdeen also had an early Tolbooth – a mixture of town house and prison – by 1191, and a few years later King William paid for the establishment of a monastery of Trinity friars. It was at this time that people from the south of Scotland and further afield, including from the Continent, began to populate Aberdeen and its surrounding areas, bringing with them a distinctive dialect that survives in Doric. Aberdeen Castle was well positioned to protect both Old Aberdeen and the rapidly developing New Aberdeen, and it was a vital asset for the area, first mentioned in documents in 1264 when a certain Richard Cementarius – 'Richard the Mason' – was paid for his stonework repairs on the castle. He was the chief architect and master mason to King Alexander III, and was obviously well respected in the burgh as he became the first provost of Aberdeen in 1272. Royal patronage continued to benefit Aberdeen. As William Watt recorded: 'By two charters of Alexander III – the one granted at Kintore in 1273 and the other at Kincardine in 1277– the burgesses of Aberdeen obtained the right to hold a yearly fair of two weeks from the day of the Holy Trinity, and were declared, along with their servants, to be free from poinding of goods save for their own debts and obligations.' These charters made Aberdeen a powerful commercial centre – however, its increasing prominence in the affairs of Scotland caused Aberdeen to be thrust into the Wars of Independence, with disastrous results for its castle. Much of the 13th century in Scotland was spent by the nobility fighting among themselves, and the Comyn family emerged as the most powerful in the north-east. Yet they were opposed by other lords and also the burgesses of Aberdeen. When the uncrowned queen Margaret, the Fair Maid of Norway, died in 1290, there was no obvious heir and that led to the nobles asking Edward I of England – aka 'Longshanks' – to govern the process of choosing the new king. With the support of the Comyns, John Balliol was selected, but to Edward's chagrin, in 1295 he chose to sign the Auld Alliance with France against England. Aberdeen was one of the five burghs whose seal was attached to the original vellum document which can today be seen in the National Archives of France in Paris. Longshanks brought a huge army north the following year and massacred the people of Berwick before routing the Scottish army at Dunbar and marching up the east coast to Aberdeen, which one English chronicle of the time described as a 'good town' with 'a fair-sized castle'. Longshanks stayed in it for five days, compelling the burgesses and local lords to swear allegiance to him. He left a garrison which survived a short siege by William Wallace and his allies during their uprising. The garrison held out and was visited by Edward I again in 1303, but after Robert the Bruce murdered John 'The Red' Comyn and took the throne in 1306, he spent several years subduing his enemies across Scotland – including the Comyns. In 1308, King Robert and his increasingly powerful army won the Battle of Inverurie, also known as the Battle of Barra, defeating the Comyns utterly. The king then carried out what became known as the Harrying (or Herschip) of Buchan, laying waste to Comyn lands and fortresses before turning his attention to Aberdeen Castle. No fans of the Comyns, the burgesses and people of Aberdeen rose up against the English garrison. One account says they slaughtered every soldier, while another states they were allowed to escape. Either way, Aberdeen Castle was taken and legend has it that the password used during that military operation was 'bon accord', French for 'good agreement', which became the motto of Aberdeen. It is my theory that in common with all the castles that were recaptured from the English occupiers, King Robert ordered the complete destruction of Aberdeen Castle, a task which the local populace carried out in totality, such had been their hatred of its occupiers until 1308. The wooden parts were probably burned completely and not a wall or single stone was left, with some of the stonework no doubt taken away for use in other buildings. Aberdeen Castle completely disappeared from history and despite archaeological investigations, no trace of it has ever been found. It will remain a source of mystery. After Bannockburn in 1314, King Robert I rewarded his friends and allies with grants of land, and he did not forget the support of the people of Aberdeen. The city council's website records: 'On 10th December 1319, the Stocket Charter, a document written in Latin and signed by King Robert the Bruce, proclaimed at Berwick-Upon-Tweed, and addressed to the 'burgesses and community of our burgh of Aberdeen,' is one of the pivotal documents in the city's history. 'As a reward for its loyalty, the burgh received several grants from Robert the Bruce, including custody of the forest of Stocket, culminating in this charter which gave all revenues from the burgh courts, market tolls, fishing to the burgesses in perpetuity, in return for an annual payment of £213 6s 8d. 'THE charter reserved sporting and timber rights for the crown, but otherwise the city obtained absolute possession. It was an extremely valuable gift, allowing the burgh to generate significant income and to lay the basis for the 'Common Good Fund' which survives to this day. It also enabled Aberdeen to become a significant economic and political power in late-medieval and early-modern Scotland.' This grant was the basis of the Freedom Lands which formed the boundaries of Aberdeen. The Bruce also confirmed the construction of the Brig o'Balgownie which crossed the Don near Old Aberdeen. The king had another strong connection to Aberdeen, his daughter Matilda marrying local man Thomas Isaac. Matilda later died in Aberdeen on July 20, 1353. The city repaid the Bruce for his support in a memorable way, for it was in Old Aberdeen around 1375 that John Barbour, archdeacon of St Machar's, wrote the epic poem The Brus, which remains the chief source of information about the king. The next major figure in Aberdonian history was also a cleric, Bishop William Elphinstone. Born in Glasgow around 1431, he was educated at Glasgow University and later in France. Ordained a priest, he rose to become Bishop of Ross and then of Aberdeen. His legal skills also saw him appointed Lord High Chancellor of Scotland, and though he retired from that post soon afterwards, he carried out major diplomatic missions for King James IV, who supported Elphinstone in his great ambition to establish a university in Old Aberdeen. He obtained a Bull from Pope Alexander VI in 1495 and a royal charter from James IV, as shown by the name he chose for his new university – King's College – at the centre of the Burgh of Barony of Old Aberdeen which Elphinstone also created. He was certainly ambitious, as King's had five faculties from the start and was soon the leading university in the land. With Old Aberdeen having its university, it followed that New Aberdeen wanted one too – the two burghs were rivals for centuries – and in 1593, George Keith, the 5th Earl Marischal of Scotland, founded what became Marischal College. For a time, Aberdeen had two universities, the same number as England, but it was not until 1860 that the two colleges united as Aberdeen University. The Reformation was not entirely grasped by Aberdeen, Old and New, in 1560 but in time the Church of Scotland's followers drove out Catholic worship from the city. With the rest of the north-east, the reformed Christians still favoured bishops and in time the Scottish Episcopal Church established a diocese in Aberdeen, now Aberdeen and Orkney. During the wars of the Three Kingdoms, Aberdeen saw the Marquis of Montrose and his royalist troops win the Battle of Justice Mills, also known as the Battle of Aberdeen, in 1644 after which the royalists sacked and pillaged the city. For Jacobites, there is a sad footnote to this ancient history of Aberdeen. For six weeks before the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the Duke of Cumberland stayed in Aberdeen and drilled the government troops in the new tactics they used to defeat the Jacobites in the battle which finished the Rising. I hope I have shown that Aberdeen's ancient history laid the foundations of the great city it became.
BBC News
21-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
University of Cambridge study says severe drought caused invasion
Three summers of extreme drought might have contributed to British rebellion against Roman legions, according to academic drought took place between 364 and 366 AD and may have been a determining factor behind the rebellion, called the Barbarian Conspiracy, which was an attack on Roman rule in from the University of Cambridge analysed oak tree-ring records and surviving Roman accounts to argue that the droughts were a driving force in the pivotal findings have been published in the journal Climatic Change. Picts, Scotti and Saxons inflicted crushing blows on weakened Roman defences in the spring and summer of Roman commanders were captured or killed and it took two years for generals to restore order. Picts, people who inhabited northern Scotland in Roman times, attacked the province by land and sea. The Scotti from modern-day Ireland invaded broadly in the west, and Saxons from the continent landed in the final remnants of official Roman administration left Britain some 40 years Ulf Büntgen said: "Three consecutive droughts would have had a devastating impact on the productivity of Roman Britain's most important agricultural region. "As Roman writers tell us, this resulted in food shortages with all of the destabilizing societal effects this brings."The droughts led to crop failure as they no longer had the wet climate they were used to in order to thrive. They happened during a poor period for Roman Britain where food and military resources were being stripped and placed elsewhere. The researchers expanded their climate-conflict analysis to the entire Roman Empire for the period 350–476 CE. They reconstructed the climate conditions immediately before and after 106 battles and found that a statistically significant number of battles were fought following dry years. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
