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A major exhibition revealing new discoveries in Scottish archaeology will open at the Hunterian Art Gallery this September.

Cradle of Scotland explores the results of 10 years work by the University of Glasgow’s Strathearn Environs and Royal Forteviot Project, known as SERF.

Led by a team of archaeologists from the University, the project examines the rich archaeological landscapes of Forteviot in Strathearn, Perthshire, and has resulted in a number of major new archaeological discoveries.

No place has a better claim to be the ‘cradle of Scotland’ than Forteviot, where a Pictish royal palace was built alongside one of the most impressive ancient ceremonial complexes in Britain. Cropmarks, sculptures, buried structures and artefacts all reveal the important story of Forteviot over three millennia.

Through excavation, aerial reconnaissance, radiocarbon dating, archaeological reconstruction and 3D visualisation, Cradle of Scotland explores the evolution of society from loosely connected communities in prehistory to the centralised kingdom of historic Alba (Gaelic for ‘Scotland’).

The exhibition begins with the arrival of the first farmers in the Neolithic period (c. 2700 BC) and closes when Pictish royal power reaches its height (c. AD 850), covering four key stages in time and place: Prehistoric Forteviot with its massive henges and rare dagger burial; Iron Age Hillforts which were at their peak in the 7th – 5th centuries BC; Caledonians and Romans, a time of conflict, trade and change which gave birth to the Picts; and Royal Forteviot, when Forteviot was a royal residence for both the Pictish kings and the first kings of Alba.

Highlights include a 3D model of Constantine’s Cross; fragments of monumental sculpture found at Forteviot including the Forteviot Cross; the Forteviot Hand Bell; the Forteviot Dagger; and the reconstruction of a cist or burial pit excavated at Forteviot. Cradle of Scotland combines original artefacts with replicas and visualisations, creating a stunning exhibition that explores the latest developments in Scottish archaeological practice.

Cradle of Scotland is jointly curated by The Hunterian and Perth Museum and Art Gallery. It will go on show at both venues, opening at The Hunterian on 3 September 2015 and then Perth Museum and Art Gallery in Spring 2016. Admission is free. Cradle of Scotland is supported by Museums Galleries Scotland (Strategic Investment Fund).

Cradle of Scotland
3 September 2015 – 3 January 2016
Hunterian Art Gallery
Admission free
Open Tuesday - Saturday 10.00am - 5.00pm and Sunday 11.00am - 4.00pm

Acknowledgements
The SERF Project and this exhibition have received generous support from Museums Galleries Scotland (Strategic Investment Fund), Historic Scotland, the University of Glasgow, Perth Museum and Art Gallery, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, the British Academy, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Chester, the University of Liverpool, Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Without out the participation of hundreds of students and volunteers and the co-operation of dozens of land owners and farmers the Forteviot story could not be told.

 

 

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Cradle of Scotland Must See Items

3D model of Constantine’s Cross
The 3D model of Constantine’s Cross was created by laser scanning in 2008 using a Leica T-scan by the Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation (the CDDV) a partnership between Historic Scotland and the Digital Design Studio (DDS) of the Glasgow School of Art. This technique, whilst requiring a costly device, creates a highly accurate record at sub-millimetre resolution.

Formerly known as the Dupplin Cross, this monument is an undoubted masterpiece of early medieval sculpture in Scotland. It is particularly rare for such a complete example to survive. Until 1999, it stood on the valley slope of Bankhead Farm, on the north side of the Earn, overlooking Forteviot. It is now housed in St Serf’s church, Dunning. The entire Cross was probably painted to represent a gigantic version of a jewelled altar cross.

The cross powerfully celebrates Constantine son of Fergus, king of the Picts from 789-820 AD. The central bosses may represent garnets in gold mounts, which are an Anglo-Saxon design trait. The other abstract ornamentation is typical of fine metalwork of the period.

Forteviot Cross
This image shows one of the four faces from the lower shaft portion of the Forteviot Cross. We do not know where it stood originally but the size and style suggest that this is more likely to have been a free-standing cross rather than a cross-slab.

The lower shaft portion survives in very good condition, with rich carving on all four faces. The most striking (pictured here) shows an arrangement of fabulous animals in which one bites a large snake which is also the tale of another large animal. This was meant to evoke a sense of Christian triumph over Sin.

Forteviot Hand Bell
This is a rare survival of a cast bronze hand bell typical of the Irish and Pictish churches of the 9th and 10th centuries. Bells were important for time-keeping and other liturgical practices and in time were adopted as relics. Associations with saints made them holy and this meant they were often perceived as having supernatural agency. The sound of a holy bell was thought to ward off evil.

It was common practice to recast bells if they became damaged or lost their musical tone. This seems to have been the case with the Forteviot Hand Bell. It is marked with an elaborate letter ‘M’. This is a casting mark typical of the 17th century when the bell was recast in its original form using the original metal.
 
Forteviot Dagger 
This recent find dates to the Early Bronze Age and was found on the SERF project. Dated somewhere between 2100 BC and 1950 BC, it was found in a cist or burial site that had survived in a remarkable state of preservation. The cist has been recreated within the exhibition. Such dagger burials are very rare in Scotland and this one had a composite handle comprising a horn grip, a gold band and a sperm whale tooth pommel. Large ornamental rivets held the handle to the blade. Its gold decoration is one of earliest uses of gold in Scotland. The nearest comparable example is from Ashgrove, Methil Fife.

First published: 24 August 2015