29 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A rare Ogham inscription found on Pictish stone in Scottish Kirkyard

A Pictish carved stone cross slab with a rare inscription in the early medieval ogham language has been discovered in Scotland’s Old Kilmadock Kirkyard near Doune.

It is one of only 30 known ogham inscriptions found in all of Scotland, and the first discovered in the Forth Valley.

The stone’s surface was first uncovered in 2019 by volunteers from the Rescuers of Old Kilmadock (ROOK), but it wasn’t until September of this year that volunteers and archaeologists were able to fully excavate the slab, exposing its edges and ogham symbols.

The stone measures 47 inches high by 32 inches wide and has a rounded top. A knotted cross is carved into the stone’s surface. The terminals of the enlaced scrolls are shaped like bird heads. They have flamingo-like sharply curved beaks, but if they are representations of actual birds rather than stylized abstractions, they are most likely pelicans in piety, popular symbols of Christ’s sacrifice.

Bird-like carving detail. It has been suggested the bird carvings could be swans or even flamingos. Photo: Mike Day/Saltire News and Sport

One of the oldest cemeteries in central Scotland is Kilmadock. Although the kirkyard dates to the ninth century, the Pictish cross slab is older. It was raised on a hilltop overlooking the Rover Teith sometime between 500 and 700 A.D. Archaeologists think a monastery once stood on the location. The presence of ogham characters on the cross-slab suggests the monks may have been literate.

 Ogham characters first appear on monumental inscriptions in the fourth century AD. Nearly a third are found in England, Wales, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, but the majority are from Ireland.

Dr. Kelly Kilpatrick, a historian and expert in Celtic epigraphy, will use photogrammetry to create a 3D model of the stone and try to decipher the newly discovered inscription. She said: “It’s a hugely important find. It tells us that in the early medieval period there were literate people here who could read and write, potentially in Latin, but who were also familiar with the ogham alphabet.

A Pictish cross thought to be up to 1,500 years old has been found at Old Kilmadock Kirkyard near Doune, in Perthshire. Photo: Mike Day/Saltire News and Sport

“As soon as it was found I took one look and said ‘that’s ogham’. The inscription is likely to go all the way around, although I can’t be certain until the stone is lifted. They tend to say personal names. I can say with reasonable confidence we’ve got some e’s and t’s in there.”

Stirling archaeologist Dr. Murray Cook, who led the recent dig, said funds would now have to be raised to lift the stone so that it could be examined in full and experts could assess the cost of its conservation before it can be displayed.

ROOK has started a fundraiser with a goal of £5,000 for the conservation of the stone. Click here to donate to the cause.

Related Articles

Urartian graves in eastern Turkey pointing out novel burial traditions

21 September 2021

21 September 2021

The excavations in Cavuştepe castle continue with the excavations in the necropolis this year. Two new tombs from the Urartian...

Excavations at Meir Necropolis have turned up funerary artifacts from two distinct eras of ancient history

16 May 2023

16 May 2023

An Egyptian team of archaeologists has uncovered a collection of structural relics dated to the Byzantine and Late Period in...

Water Cultu in Hittites and Eflatunpınar Hittite Water Monument

4 February 2021

4 February 2021

The Hittites, which left their mark on the Bronze Age period in Anatolia, is a society that draws attention with...

‘Proof of biblical kings’, Israel deciphers 8th century BC Hezekiah inscription after a decade of research

17 December 2022

17 December 2022

Israeli archeologists have deciphered an 8th-century BC inscription discovered on a palm-sized stone tablet after a decade of research.  The...

A Mysterious Human Face Carved on Stone Dated to Bronze Age Discovered in Kazakhstan

21 July 2024

21 July 2024

Kazakhstan’s rich archaeological landscape continues to reveal fascinating details about ancient civilizations. Recent research in the Akmola, and Pavlodar revealed...

Archaeologists Unearth Carolingian Silver Treasure Hoard

6 May 2021

6 May 2021

A silver treasure hoard from the 9th century AD has been discovered in Poland‘s Osa and Drwęca basin. The hoard...

A metal detectorist unearthed a Roman silver “ligula” or “Toilet Spoon” in Wales

30 January 2024

30 January 2024

A metal detectorist in Wales unearthed a Roman silver “ligula”, commonly known as a “toilet spoon”. The discovery, made in...

The World’s oldest and first swords ever discovered

11 March 2023

11 March 2023

The 5,000-year-old swords found 43 years ago during the excavations in the old mud-brick palace structure in Malatya Arslantepe Mound...

Archaeologists Uncover Extensive Ancient Irrigation Network in Eridu, the World’s First City

8 March 2025

8 March 2025

Recent research by a multidisciplinary team of archaeologists and geologists has revealed that the Eridu region of southern Mesopotamia, inhabited...

Ancient Celtic Bone Pen Found in Southern Germany

14 December 2024

14 December 2024

From August to October this year, the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (LAD) in the Stuttgart Regional Council...

1400-year-old artifacts discovered in the ancient city of Uzuncaburç (Diocaesarea)

26 January 2022

26 January 2022

During the excavations carried out in a tower in the ancient city of Uzuncaburç (Diocaesarea) in Mersin province in the...

World’s oldest wooden structure ‘476,000 years old’ discovered in Zambia

20 September 2023

20 September 2023

An ancient wooden structure found at Kalambo Falls, Zambia—dated to about 476,000 years ago—may represent the earliest use of wood...

The largest marine turtle fossil of its kind ever discovered in Europe unearthed in Spain

21 November 2022

21 November 2022

In northern Spain, scientists discovered the remains of a new species of enormous marine turtle. The prehistoric creature is the...

A section of one of Britain’s most important Roman roads unearthed under Old Kent Road in south-east London

15 November 2024

15 November 2024

Archaeologists have found a section of a Roman road under Old Kent Road in south-east London, part of one of...

2,400-year-old unearthed flush toilet in China

18 February 2023

18 February 2023

According to a China Daily report, the lower parts of a flush toilet estimated to be 2,400 years old have...