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The Picts: A History Paperback – August 20, 2016

by Tim Clarkson (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 390 ratings
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The Picts were an ancient nation who ruled most of northern and eastern Scotland during the Dark Ages. Despite their historical importance, they remain shrouded in myth and misconception. Absorbed by the kingdom of the Scots in the ninth century, they lost their unique identity, their language and their vibrant artistic culture. Amongst their few surviving traces are standing stones decorated with incredible skill and covered with enigmatic symbols - vivid memorials of a powerful and gifted people who bequeathed no chronicles to tell their story, no sagas to describe the deed of their kings and heroes.

In this book Tim Clarkson pieces together the evidence to tell the story of this mysterious people from their emergence in Roman times to their eventual disappearance.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Birlinn
  4. Publication date
    August 20, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1780274033
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1780274034
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'Very interesting and very readable'
Facts and Fiction

A valuable resource'
Scottish Genealogist

About the Author

Tim Clarkson is an independent researcher and historian, who previously worked in academic librarianship. He gained an MPhil in Archaeology and a PhD in medieval history, both from the University of Manchester. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and a member of the editorial board of the Heroic Age online journal.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Birlinn; New edition (August 20, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1780274033
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1780274034
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 390 ratings

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Tim Clarkson

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
390 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

A. Goyette
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, even for non-historians...
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2012
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This book helped me tremendously with my own book that I was writing at the time. This book grabs you immediately. The author makes you feel like you were there, and the historical characters really come to life and they feel real to you as you read. It presents all sides of the story, since many theories about the Picts are still up for debate. I really liked it because the author didn't talk above anyone's head. The average guy can read this and understand it quite easily. If you really do want to know the history of the Picts, which is a very fascinating one, I definitely recommend this book!
19 people found this helpful
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M. T. in S.C.
5.0 out of 5 stars A good well documented history...
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2021
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This book is a good, careful summary of what is currently known.
It's organized chronologically -- that helps the reader easily follow the various threads (of history and available evidence). The best source I've read on this topic.
(The writing style is congenial as well -- easy to read, especially for an obscure topic like this.)
21 people found this helpful
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Tibet and Turkoman
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best you’ll find
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2022
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If you are looking for information on early Scottish history, and in the Picts in particular, there really is no better source. Well referenced and thorough, the author gathers as much information as is known about this obscure, but influential early tribe of Scotland.

I would be interested in seeing some DNA analysis of Picts ( if it could be derived from burials) compared to the current Scottish populace. Who knows if this data exists? Maybe someday.
10 people found this helpful
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Frae Theport
4.0 out of 5 stars View through them Caledonian mist
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2022
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Very well written and presented. This book brings substance and well based understanding, of a people , to often associated with myth and legend. A well developed chronology and insight to a historical period.
4 people found this helpful
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Old Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting...
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2022
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A detailed and interesting book about a people about which little is known. The author does his best to help understand these people and their times, using facts where available and clearly identified speculation where facts are scarce. An interesting read for the history nut.
7 people found this helpful
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Able Devildog
2.0 out of 5 stars BORING!!!
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2022
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The author obviously is a scholar but he writer he is not. The book is poorly organized, full of uninteresting trivia. A good writer would have distilled the material down to a quarter The author just meanders through the history, jumping back and forth through time. His main problem though, is that he writing about a tribe of people who played an insignificant role in the history of Great Britain. Hence the question, who are the Picts. Most people who have studied English history probably either never heard of the Picts or don't remember what they were. for some of us who were aware they had existed, might have picked up this book just to learn more about them, only to find themselves buried in such trivial detail that was very disappointing.. Yes,we know more about the Picts and there is some interesting facets about them but in the whole, there is very little to remember about them, other than they tatooed their skins with pictures which is why they are called the Picts. There also is some interesting information on how they were converted to Christianity, perhaps only to those who are interested in that subject. The discussion of "matriliny" or matrilineal succession", a Pictish custom, is also interesting. But the book doesn't really become interesting until the reader begins the last quarter of the book when the Vikings become involved which is the beginning of the end for the Picts.

In summary, it is not worth it to purchase the book. Those who want to read it should borrow it either from a library or from a friend or colleague, provided one can be found that has the book.

Clarkson, Tim. The Picts: A History (p. 197). Birlinn Limited. Kindle Edition. sis also interesting.

Clarkson, Tim. The Picts: A History (p. 120). Birlinn Limited. Kindle Edition.
5 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Little known history
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2022
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This book covered a lot of information on something I knew nothing about. It was especially interesting since my ancestry is from this area.
2 people found this helpful
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E.P. McLean
2.0 out of 5 stars Summary of history of the Picts.
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2021
Verified Purchase
Interesting summary of the Picts in history. Combines primary sources and references to results of archeological work. The reader is burdened by many unpronounceable names with little visual help in keeping them straight. The discussion of early kingdoms which dominate the book is useless because no maps are provided to allow the reader to get a clear understanding of the geography of early Scotland. We are left with many town and geographic descriptions and no way of understanding how they fit.
49 people found this helpful
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Antônio Coelho de Souza do Nasciemento
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
Reviewed in Brazil on May 5, 2021
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Muito bom. Satisfeito
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PEI Buyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
Reviewed in Canada on October 23, 2018
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Excellent book. A true find for the subject matter.
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Dell Walker
4.0 out of 5 stars De-mystifying the mystery of the Picts
Reviewed in Germany on February 6, 2014
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At last, a book explaining the not so mysterious Picts.
The author fully explains, in detail, what is now known and what is still to be discovered.
As is always the case, not all historians agree with Tim Clarksons conclusions. But he has written a book for us interested amateurs, they haven't.
I recommend this book to all who are interested in Scotlands history from the Roman occupation up to about 700 AD.
Keep an open mind and remember, there is still a lot to learn.
One person found this helpful
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JPS
5.0 out of 5 stars A good overview and a good starting point
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2013
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This little book (228 pages all told, with just above 200 pages of main text) is both a good starting point for someone who knows little about the Picts and the multiple issues that relate to them, and a rather good overview for someone who might already be acquainted with them.

This is partly because the author's narrative is clear, well-told and interesting, even if not always easy to follow. It is also because the story of the Picts is told in a simple and unpretentious way, with Tim Clarkson making no mystery about his preferred versions while not pretending that his views are necessarily the right ones. In fact, one of the book's appendices contains a little list of some sixteen items where there are debates between historians with the view he believes and the alternative being both presented.

Another merit of this book is the care taken by the author to explain the "mystery of the Picts" and the reasons for which we know so little about them. One is these is that we simply have not a single written text from them. Another is that more than a few stories told and events about the Picts came from one or the other of their neighbours and enemies. These often had an interest in slanting the story and misrepresenting what happened. At least according to the author, they definitely did it on a number of occasions.

You may disagree with some (or even most) of the views expressed and defended by the author. They are some points that I found not entirely convincing such as the notion that the Dal Riada aka "Scots" were not from Ireland but instead were a pre-established Briton population. Maybe there is some middle-ground that could be also considered? Maybe they were a mix of both, with the Irish war-bands, probably always a minority, taking over the country and lording it over the majority of the pre-existing populations? Making you Wonder and think about what the most plausible explanation might be to the various issues raised and discussed across the book is not the least of this book's many qualities.

In most instances, however, the author makes a good case that seems convincing. Whether it happens to be correct or not, of course, is an entirely different matter that we will probably never be able to establish, given the paucity of the evidence. Whatever the "truth", the author was, with this little book, highly successful in several respects as far as I was concerned.

First, he makes the topic sufficiently interesting - at times I read it as a kind of detective story - to engage the reader. In itself, this is no mean achievement because the text could easily have been dry, over scholarly and technical, or a mix of both. Second, the explanations he comes up with are mostly clear and plausible. There are few - if any - convoluted theories. Third, while it is quite obvious that the author is passionately interested in his subject, there is no controversy, no acrimony and no criticism and personal attacks levelled against any of those who might defend any of the alternative explanations that the author does not retain.

This little book has additional merits, however, and these are perhaps even more important. One is to show that the Picts were far from the common folklore "Barbarians" that they were traditionally believed to be. Another point demonstrates that their origins are not as mysterious as initially thought and that they were not, of course, from Scythia originally. A third element shows to what extent they were formidable, with some of their over-kings being rather outstanding warlords that were capable of imposing their domination over all of the north of Britain.

Finally, for those looking for more, a relatively short but rather up to date bibliography (the most recent titles date from 2009) is also provided. For all this, and for the interest that this book was able to generate, I believe it is a rather excellent introduction and overview even if, here and there, some points may be simplified, questionable or controversial. Five stars.
23 people found this helpful
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Piroska Cavenett
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History
Reviewed in Australia on July 6, 2014
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I loved this book however I find it sad that the history presented is so intertwined with Catholic history. The mysterious Picts certainly made their made their mark on Scottish history, it is a pity that there are not many other sources of information on the Picts to provide a more realistic picture of the Pictish race.
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