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30-622: The Dupplin Cross is a carved, monumental Pictish stone , which dates from around 800 AD. It was first recorded by Thomas Pennant in 1769, on a hillside in Strathearn , a little to the north of (and on the opposite bank of the River Earn from) Forteviot and Dunning . In 2002 it was placed in the care of Historic Scotland , and was placed for preservation under the 11th/12th-century tower of St Serf's Church, Dunning . The Dupplin Cross

60-706: A clan usually has different meaning than other kin-based groups, such as tribes and bands . Often, the distinguishing factor is that a clan is a smaller, integral part of a larger society such as a tribe , chiefdom , or a state . In some societies, clans may have an official leader such as a chief , matriarch or patriarch ; or such leadership role is performed by elders. In others, leadership positions may have to be achieved. Examples include Irish , Scottish , Chinese , Korean , and Japanese clans , which exist as distinct social groupings within their respective nations. Note, however, that tribes and bands can also be components of larger societies. The early Norse clans ,

90-570: A collection of families who bear the same coat of arms , as opposed to claiming a common descent (see Polish heraldry ). There are multiple closely related clans in the Indian subcontinent , especially South India . Romani people have many clans which are called vitsa in Romani. Scottish clans are social groupings that have played a pivotal role in the history and culture of Scotland. Unlike some other clans that focus solely on common descent or

120-456: A more typical estimate is "around thirty", or "around forty" according to Historic Scotland . These include geometric symbols, which have been assigned descriptive names by researchers such as: and outline representations of animals such as: Some are representations of everyday objects, such as the "mirror and comb" , which could have been used by high-status Picts. The symbols are almost always arranged in pairs or sets of pairs, often with

150-458: A partially legible inscription, of which only the name CUSTANTIN FILIUS FIRCUS can be read. This name is taken as the Latin form of the early 9th-century Pictish king's Gaelic name Caustantín son of Fergus ( fl. 793–820). Since the inscription implies that the cross was carved either during, or shortly after, the reign of Caustantín, it is particularly important as giving a fixed point in

180-464: A shared coat of arms, Scottish clans are unique in their elaborate systems of tartans, insignias, and mottos. Clan culture in Scotland also extends to community events such as clan gatherings and Highland Games. Each clan may have an official leader known as a "Chieftain" or "Chief." Members of Scottish clans often have a shared interest in preserving their historical and cultural landmarks, as well as

210-519: A suggested decipherment. Although earlier studies based on a contextual approach, postulating the identification of the pagan "pre-Christian Celtic Cult of the Archer Guardian", have suggested possible clausal meanings for symbol pairs. A selection of the Pictish symbols, showing the variation between individual examples. Each group is classified as a single type by most researchers. Only

240-623: Is a high cross , that is a free-standing stone cross. While relatively common in Ireland , Northumbria and in Dál Riata , such crosses are rare survivals in the lands of the Picts , though fragments of shattered crosses (probably cast down during the 16th-century Reformation ) show that a number once existed. In the 18th century a second cross, the Cross of Dronachy , was recorded as having stood on

270-653: Is a type of monumental stele , generally carved or incised with symbols or designs. A few have ogham inscriptions . Located in Scotland , mostly north of the Clyde - Forth line and on the Eastern side of the country, these stones are the most visible remaining evidence of the Picts and are thought to date from the 6th to 9th century, a period during which the Picts became Christianized. The earlier stones have no parallels from

300-737: Is derived from old Irish clann meaning "children", "offspring", "progeny" or "descendants". According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the word "clan" was introduced into English in around 1425, as a descriptive label for the organization of society in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands . None of the Irish and Scottish Gaelic terms for kinship groups is cognate to English clan ; Scottish Gaelic clann means "children": In different cultures and situations,

330-458: Is quite common to speak of "clans" in reference to informal networks within the economic and political sphere. This usage reflects the assumption that their members act towards each other in a particularly close and mutually supportive way, approximating the solidarity among kinsmen. Similar usage of the term applies to specific groups of various cultures and nationalities involved in organized crime . Polish clans differ from most others as they are

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360-439: Is widely known and still used in the field. In particular, the classification may be misleading for the many incomplete stones. Allen and Anderson regarded their classes as coming from distinct periods in sequence, but it is now clear that there was a considerable period when both Class I and II stones were being produced. Later Scottish stones merge into wider medieval British and European traditions. The purpose and meaning of

390-642: The ætter , are often translated as "house" or "line". The Biblical tribes of Israel were composed of many clans. Arab clans are sub-tribal groups within Arab society. Native American and First Nations peoples, often referred to as "tribes", also have clans. For instance, Ojibwa bands are smaller parts of the Ojibwa people or tribe in North America . The many Native American peoples are distinguished by language and culture, and most have clans and bands as

420-504: The Northern Isles . Simple or early forms of the symbols are carved on the walls of coastal caves at East Wemyss , Fife and Covesea , Moray . It is therefore thought likely that they were represented in other more perishable forms that have not survived in the archaeological record, perhaps including clothing and tattoos . Some symbols appear across the whole geographical range of the stones while, for example, six stones with

450-690: The Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland . Three stones with Pictish symbols are known outside areas normally recognised as Pictish: in Dunadd , Argyll ; Trusty's Hill in Dumfries and Galloway ; and Edinburgh in Lothian . All three are located at major royal power centres. Two Pictish Class I stones are known to have been removed from Scotland. These are Burghead 5 from Burghead Fort in Moray , showing

480-669: The North East of the country in lowland areas, the Pictish heartland. During the period when the stones were being created, Christianity was spreading through Scotland from the west and the south, through the kingdoms of Dál Riata , which included parts of Ireland , and the extension into modern Scotland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Bernicia and Northumbria . Areas that show particular concentrations include Strathtay , Strathmore , coastal Angus , Fife , Strathdee , Garioch , Moray , Strathspey , Caithness , Easter Ross ,

510-562: The basic kinship organizations. In some cases tribes recognized each other's clans; for instance, both the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes of the Southeast United States had fox and bear clans, who felt a kinship that reached beyond their respective tribes. Apart from these different historical traditions of kinship, conceptual confusion arises from colloquial usages of the term. In post- Soviet countries, for example, it

540-665: The chronology of Pictish sculpture. It also indicates that Gaelic was spoken at the time as it uses the Gaelic personal name of his father in Latin. Other carved themes on the cross include a rider with an oversized head and ponytail showing him to be a man of authority. On the obverse a man fights bears with his bare hands. The sides include a man (probably David ) playing a harp, and hunting dogs. 56°18′45″N 3°35′14″W  /  56.31250°N 3.58722°W  / 56.31250; -3.58722 Pictish stone A Pictish stone

570-575: The figure of a bull, now in the British Museum , and the Crosskirk stone ( Caithness ), presented to the King of Denmark in the 19th century, but whose location is currently unknown. Clan Clans preceded more centralized forms of community organization and government, and have existed in every country. Members may identify with a coat of arms or other symbol. The English word "clan"

600-484: The geometric and object types are represented here, not the animal group. Only a few stones still stand at their original sites; most have been moved to museums or other protected sites. Some of the more notable individual examples and collections are listed below (Note that listing is no guarantee of unrestricted access, since some lie on private land). Pictish Symbol stones have been found throughout Scotland, although their original locations are concentrated largely in

630-456: The grounds that the non-uniform distribution of symbols – taken to be evidence of writing – is little different from non-linguistic non-uniform distributions (such as die rolls), and that the Exeter team are using a definition of writing broader than that used by linguists. To date, even those who propose that the symbols should be considered "writing" from this mathematical approach do not have

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660-440: The lands of Invermay, south of Forteviot and also overlooking Forteviot, but having fallen and broken. The cross base survives in situ , but the records do not provide details of its exact form. The cross is carved from Old Red Sandstone , the cross stands about 2.5 metres tall, 1 metre broad over the arms of the cross. It is carved with various scenes, religious, martial and traditional Pictish animal carvings. The cross contains

690-462: The meanings of the symbols. Class I and II stones contain symbols from a recognisable set of standard ideograms , many unique to Pictish art, which are known as the Pictish symbols. The exact number of distinct Pictish symbols is uncertain, as there is some debate as to what constitutes a Pictish symbol, and whether some varied forms should be counted together or separately. The more inclusive estimates are in excess of sixty different symbols, but

720-645: The natural environment and wildlife of Scotland. The clan system in Scotland has also been influenced by key historical events like the Highland Clearances and the Jacobite uprisings, which have left lasting impacts on clan structures and Scottish diaspora. Clannism (in Somali culture, qabiilism ) is a system of society based on clan affiliation. The Islamic world , the Near East , North and

750-661: The object type, such as the mirror and comb, below the others, and the animals are generally found only in combination with the abstract types. Hence some think they could represent names, lineage, or kinships, such as the clans of two parents, analogous to the Japanese mon . According to Anthony Jackson the symbol pairs represent matrilineal marriage alliances. A small number of Pictish stones have been found associated with burials, but most are not in their original locations. Some later stones may also have marked tribal or lineage territories. Some were re-used for other purposes, such as

780-620: The rest of the British Isles, but the later forms are variations within a wider Insular tradition of monumental stones such as high crosses . About 350 objects classified as Pictish stones have survived, the earlier examples of which holding by far the greatest number of surviving examples of the mysterious symbols, which have long intrigued scholars. In The Early Christian Monuments of Scotland (1903) J Romilly Allen and Joseph Anderson first classified Pictish stones into three groups. Critics have noted weaknesses in this system but it

810-502: The single symbol of a bull found at Burghead Fort suggest that this represented the place itself, or its owners, despite other examples appearing elsewhere. A team from Exeter University, using mathematical analysis, have concluded that the symbols in the Pictish image stones "exhibit the characteristics of written languages" (as opposed to "random or sematographic (heraldic) characters"). The Exeter analysts' claim has been criticized by linguists Mark Liberman and Richard Sproat on

840-592: The stones are only slightly understood, and the various theories proposed for the early Class I symbol stones, those that are considered to mostly pre-date the spread of Christianity to the Picts, are essentially speculative. Many later Christian stones from Class II and Class III fall more easily into recognisable categories such as gravestones. The earlier symbol stones may have served as personal memorials or territorial markers, with symbols for individual names, clans , lineages or kindreds, although there are several other theories, and proposed explanations of

870-473: The two Congash Stones near Grantown-on-Spey , now placed as portal stones for an old graveyard. The shaft of an old cross is lying in the field. Another Pictish stone, the Dunachton Stone near Kincraig , was later used as a door lintel in a barn. This was discovered when the building was dismantled in 1870. The stone was re-erected in the field. Recently it fell, after being photographed in 2007, but

900-581: Was re-erected again a few years later by the owner of Dunachton Lodge. The symbols are found on some of the extremely rare survivals of Pictish jewellery, such as the pair of silver plaques from the Norrie's Law hoard found in Fife in the early 19th century, and the Whitecleuch Chain . The symbols are also sometimes found on other movable objects like small stone discs and bones mostly from

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