This book deals with a key archaeology of one of the prime Pictish settlements in north east Scotland. This updated 2nd edition continues and develops the interpretation of a prime Pictish settlement site in north east Scotland, with new chapters exploring Iron Age, Medieval and European contexts of the settlement. Before 1996, no one assumed Portmahomack held a key to the understanding of the mysterious Pictish world. On discovery of an apparent monastery and settlement, the area soon became the subject of one of the largest research excavations ever to have taken place on the Scottish mainland. The monastery was destroyed between 780 and 830 AD and was then lost to history before being unearthed by Martin Carver and his colleagues. In this highly illustrated book, Martin Carver describes the discovery of the site and the design and execution of the research programme, then traces the events that occurred from the mid 6th century to the 11th century when the parish church was founded on the former monastic site. The book ends with the subsequent history of the church of St Colman and a study of the Tarbat peninsula.
The author's conclusions advance the theory that this was a prehistoric place before the monks arrived, and that they marked out the boundaries of their estate in the late 8th century with the lives of local saints carved on some of the greatest stone sculptures of the age. This updated new edition presents results of 18 years of archaeology. It includes three new chapters. It features expanded conclusions and theories of Pictish life. It is a heavily illustrated edition.