Leanne Demay

Project Title: Rome and the creation of the Picts: Social and political change in north-east Scotland (AD100–800) in comparative perspective

The Later Iron Age in north-east Scotland was a period of dynamic social and political change characterised by significant transformations in material culture and settlement, contact with the Roman empire, the rise of Christianity, and the emergence of the Picts- a key cultural group in Early Medieval Scotland.

Despite several recent research projects, many aspects of the development, social and political arrangements of the Picts remain opaque- with, for example, most material studies to date restricted to carved stones and silver objects. This PhD will examine social and political developments in north-east Scotland in long-term perspective by assessment of Roman finds and consideration of changes in local material culture, economy and settlement. A comparative element including wider parts of Scotland, Ireland and southern Scandinavia, which also remained beyond Rome’s frontiers, will offer a broader European perspective for the Scottish evidence. This PhD will take an innovative long-term view of the formation of the rise of the early kingdoms of northern Europe, holistically examining key transitions within Iron Age, Roman Iron Age and late Iron Age/early medieval society.