Historic Realms: The Picts Trivia Quiz

Answer: Caledonia

The Picts were located in Caledonia (as the Romans had named it), and are generally taken to be the descendants of the many Caledonian tribes. The Picts were not ruled centrally, and instead fought invaders by gathering the many tribes together. Roman historian Tacitus was very careful not to use the word "king" when writing about the Pictish war leader, leading some historians to believe that the many Pictish peoples simply elected a single war leader when they went to battle.

Answer: painted people

The Picts were said to be the "painted people" because they were said to have painted or tattooed themselves, especially during war. The warpaint was said most often to be of a blue color, though some other accounts depict various colors, with even the women painted.

The designs on the skin are undocumented, but often illustrations of the Pictish people tend to use the patterns used in Pictish artwork. The lack of historical documentation amongst the Pictish people themselves leaves all historical accounts to the Romans and other nations, so any definitive descriptions of them must be seen through the lens of historical bias. The Picts may have indeed painted themselves, but it is unknown to what extent this practice would have taken place.

Answer: carved stoneworks

The Picts were widely known for their stone carvings and their intricate patterns. Many of the Pictish patterns are known for being drawn from a single line. As can also be seen, the Picts were known for creating crosses, due to the fact that Christianity was brought to their civilization between the sixth and ninth centuries.

Answer: Pictish art usually didn't contain a single figure.

No conspiracy theories here; the Bullion Stone is a carved stone from the late Pictish period around the tenth century. It is unusual because Pictish art is usually decorated with patterns and symbols, leaving little to no empty space. However, the Bullion stone depicts just a single figure. The stone itself was found in Angus, Scotland.

Answer: Antonine Wall

The Antonine Wall meant to further distance the northern tribes from the Roman lands in southern Britannia. It was built with a stone foundation and the rest was simply turf. After only eight years of defending the wall, the Romans were ordered to fall back to Hadrian's Wall and abandon the north.

Some years later, Roman Emperor Septimus Severus arrived in Scotland and repaired much of the wall once again in order to extend Rome's lands. This led to some referring to the Antonine Wall as the Severus Wall. However, Severus' campaign was pushed back again after only a few years.

Answer: Northumbria

Northumbria was an Anglian kingdom which grew from the merged kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira. In the seventh century, they began to invade north into Pictish lands, but the Pictish warriors gathered under King Bridei III and removed the invaders. The battle was seen as a real victory against the Angles and was celebrated as far away as the Celtic tribes in Ireland.

Answer: Orkney

Bridei's Orkney campaign was brutal, though little else is known about it. Orkney had been ruled by a small independent kingdom that was easily conquered. Bridei III also skirmished with the Gaels and the Angles, successfully establishing the Picts as a power in the north.

Answer: crannog

Crannogs were generally used as dwellings, sometimes for those who could afford them for the purpose of isolation. They occasionally had defensive purposes. It is believed that there were over 300 crannogs spread out through Scotland at their highest popularity.

The defining principles of what makes a crannog are debated, though one constant is that they are constructed within water, making them artificial islands. Sometimes this means they are simply mounds of stone and straw, and other times they are full structures.

Answer: Druidism

Celtic polytheism could be seen across the many Celtic regions, though they often differed slightly from group to group. However, the majority of them had adopted deities similar to those of the Romans and Greeks. Especially to Christians, their form or worship was known as "Celtic paganism".

Christianity would sweep through the Celtic realms and the missionaries were generally treated well. The Picts would go on to create a large swath of Christian art, and had a special affinity toward Christian crosses.

Answer: Gaels

The Gaels were those who spoke Gaelic, originating from Ireland and Gaelic Scotland. The Picts merged culturally with the Gaels who had lived in southwest Scotland forming the Kingdom of Alba, a precursor to the Kingdom of Scotland. Even today, there are those in Scotland who speak a form of Gaelic, or Scottish Gaelic, though it is typically not mandatory to study the language like it is to study Gaelic in Ireland.