Benjamin Hudson 
The Picts 

The Picts is a survey of the historical and cultural
developments in northern Britain between AD 300 and AD 900.
Discarding the popular view of the Picts as savages, they are
revealed to have been politically successful and culturally
adaptive members of the medieval European world.



* Re-interprets our definition of ‘Pict’ and provides
a vivid depiction of their political and military organization

* Offers an up-to-date overview of Pictish life within the
environment of northern Britain

* Explains how art such as the ‘symbol stones’ are
historical records as well as evidence of creative
inspiration.

* Draws on a range of transnational and comparative scholarship
to place the Picts in their European context

Table of Content

List of Figures and Tables vi

List of Lineages and Maps vii

Preface and Acknowledgments viii

Methodology x

Abbreviations xii

Introducing the Picts 1

1 Picts and Romans 15

2 Myth and Reality 40

3 The Early Middle Ages 57

4 People and Work 95

5 Spirituality 134

6 Art 162

7 Conquest and Obscurity 182

8 Literature and Remembrance 207

Conclusion 233

Select Bibliography 240

Index 255

About the author

Benjamin Hudson’s books include Irish Sea Studies
(2006), and Viking Pirates and Christian Princes
(2005).