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REVIEW BY NICHOLAS EVANS
This reprint of the updated 2014 edition of Dr Foster’s accessible multidisciplinary study is very welcome. Originating in a 1996 publication by Batsford for Historic Scotland, the 2014 edition was substantially altered to take into account the revolution in scholarship that had taken place in the intervening period. What is particularly impressive is that Foster also incorporated important, then unpublished, studies in diverse fields. As a result, it is still not out of date ten years later (apart from the absence of subsequent discoveries such as the 3rd- to 7th-century phase of the large hilltop site at Tap o’ Noth, Aberdeenshire, and more recent work on the dating of the Pictish symbol stones).
The book is not a basic introduction to the Gaels of Dál Riata in western Scotland, the Picts north of the Forth, and their amalgamation to become the Scots of Alba, the forerunner of the Scottish kingdom. While utilising the same chapter framework as the 1996 original, the 2014 edition is more focused on the development of royal power and statehood, following the scholarly trend in regarding this as primarily a development from the Pictish overkingship of Alba, with Gaelic Dál Riata relegated to a supporting role.
Nevertheless, this structure enables Foster to discuss all aspects of society, including settlement, agriculture, trade, religion, and cultural connections, in addition to the more obviously pertinent power centres, kings, and warfare. The only substantial absence is the lack of a more-narrative or -chronological account of the period, though other publications are available to provide that.
Different types of evidence – archaeological, documentary, place name, and art historical – are skilfully combined to make thoughtful points, presented in a clear writing style with copious illustrations. The result is that this is an extremely good survey of the society and sources relating to Gaelic and Pictish Scotland.
Foster’s achievement is to synthesise disparate, difficult material into a highly coherent, engaging – if occasionally (understandably) debatable – study of state-formation in Scotland. This book remains both an essential study of power structures for specialists and an excellent introduction for anyone wanting to know more about early Scotland.
Picts, Gaels, and Scots: Early historic Scotland
Sally M Foster
Birlinn Ltd (John Donald), £17.99
ISBN 978-0859767224
