Dumbarton Castle to host Viking-themed festival this weekend
Fans of all things Norse in Scotland will have the chance to take in performances and family-friendly activities this weekend when Dumbarton Castle hosts the Rock of Ages festival.
Lords of the Isles’ home reconstructed virtually
The lost medieval home of the Lords of the Isles has been reconstructed virtually by experts at the University of St Andrews.
“A somewhat too cruel vengeance was taken for the blood of the slain”: Royal Punishment of Rebels, Traitors, and Political Enemies in Medieval Scotland, c.1100–c.1250
Rather than the grizzly purveyors of random violence, hands soaked with the blood of those who opposed them, contemporary Scottish monarchs were rather different. In fact, they were more like their European contemporaries than has been recognized.
Lost Tomb of Robert the Bruce finds its final resting place
A 3D reconstruction of the tomb of Robert the Bruce is to go on display at Dunfermline Abbey Church in Scotland.
Where to find the Middle Ages in Scotland in 2019
Historic Environment Scotland has unveiled its events programme for 2019, which will feature medieval tournaments, Norse sagas and unique looks into castles.
Elen More: The Moorish Lass in James IV’s Court
It won’t take you long to spot an ‘Elen More’ among the courtiers of King James IV. Or the ‘Moorish Lass’, as they dubbed her.
15th century carvings discovered at Scottish cathedral
Stone carvings which had lain hidden for centuries have been discovered at Dunkeld Cathedral in Scotland. At least a dozen carved saint-like figures were found by a conservation team from Historic Environment Scotland.
The Battle of the Standard (1138): A benchmark of Norman and English assimilation
The battle of the Standard (1138) shall be used as a benchmark to assess the degree of assimilation between the Normans and English.
Historian discovers earliest evidence of a Scottish ship sailing to North America
An entry in a late sixteenth-century register has revealed that a ship known as “William” of Aberdeen made a voyage to “the new fund land” (Newfoundland) in 1596
How the Vikings Inhabited Scotland: A Social Zooarchaeological Approach
The field of human-animal relations is a growing area of research, and with regard to the
Viking Age the majority of this research has concerned the Scandinavian homelands.
Medieval whisky still discovered in Scotland
A medieval structure, believed to be the remains of one of the oldest whisky stills ever discovered, has been unearthed at Lindores Abbey.…
After 65 years, report on Scottish castle excavation published
65 years ago Brian Hope-Taylor led an archaeological excavation of a motte-and-bailey castle in southwestern Scotland. The report on that research has just been published.
Backyard Castles: Dundonald Castle
Learn more about Dundonald Castle in Scotland with Dig It! TV
Attitudes Towards Chivalry in Barbour’s Bruce and Hary’s Wallace
In particular, it will consider the way each author explores themes of prudence, friendship and loyalty as expressed through oath-making for what these themes tell us about Barbour and Hary’s engagement with chivalry.
‘A nation nobler in blood and in antiquity’: Scottish national identity in Gesta Annalia I and Gesta Annalia II
The origins and development of a sense of Scottish national identity have long been a matter of critical importance for historians of medieval Scotland.
House of the Blackfriars discovered in Scotland
Archaeologists working in the Scottish city of Stirling have discovered the foundations of a medieval Dominican friary.
Medieval Movie Review: Outlaw King
Although it sticks to the medieval film playbook – mud, blood, and a bit of romance – it’s in the details that Outlaw King stands out, giving Robert the Bruce’s fight for independence a uniquely Scottish air.
Pictish symbol stone discovered in Aberdeen
A Pictish stone carved with mysterious symbols has been discovered in the River Don as river levels drop this summer.
Shock and Awe: The use of terror as a psychological weapon during the Bruce-Balliol Civil War, 1332-38
Ravaging land, burning crops, stealing livestock and killing peasants: this is how war was fought in the middle ages. These tactics constituted a form of warfare that minimised the dangers of meeting an enemy in battle, while maximising the destruction that could be inflicted upon the opposition.
Scottish History and Archaeology Quiz
Ten questions about the history of Scotland – ancient, medieval and modern. How well can you do?
‘Viking Age Destruction’ found to have preserved key parts of Scotland’s largest Pictish fort
When one of Scotland’s most powerful Pictish forts was destroyed by fire in the 10th century – a time when Vikings are known to have been raiding the Moray coastline – it brought to a rapid end a way of life which had endured for centuries.
From reformed barbarian to “saint-king”: literary portrayals of King Malcolm III Canmore (r. 1058-93) in Scottish historical narratives, c. 1100- 1449
It examines how King Malcolm went from being considered a barbaric king of Scots reformed by the influence of his second wife, Saint Margaret of Scotland (d. 1093), to the Scottish prince exiled in England by Macbeth (r. 1040-1057/8).
10 things you might not know about British cathedrals
Discover 10 curious facts you might not know about Great Britain’s most famous cathedrals.
The Penny in the Pennylands: Coinage in Scotland in the Early Middle Ages
Other terms of account, such as shilling, mancus, mark and ora are to be found in Old English documents, but the silver penny was tile only coin to be issued, and remained so until the groat was introduced by Edward I in 1279.
