Angus Konstam
Strongholds of the Picts: The Fortifications of Dark Age Scotland
Fortress 92, Oxford: Osprey, 2010. 64 pp. $18.95. ISBN 9781846036866.
Dundurn. Dunadd. Portknockie. Alt Clut. These and others make up a veritable plethora of Iron Age Hill Forts that mark the landscape of modern Scotland. While some of these forts are better known than others, it is clear that there is much yet to know about them and it is sometimes not clear when or by whom they were actually built. Many seem to have been built by the Picts, and in his new book, Scottish expert Angus Konstam sheds a great deal of light on these forts. In Forts of Celtic Britain, Konstam has already given a good overview of the subject; in this book his primary focus is on the Picts themselves and on the fortifications that they have left behind. The work itself is one of some detail, and it incorporates a good deal of modern research as well as using traditional sources for the study, such as Wainwright's The Problem of the Picts. The result is one of expert synthesis, leaving this reviewer impressed by its up-to-date details.
The book begins with an outstanding introduction that deals with the Picts themselves, and their appearance in historical and archaeological records. In addition, a distinction is clearly made between this group and their predecessors, termed proto-Picts, and the neighbors of the Picts: the Scots of Dal Riata, and the post-Roman Britons of southern Scotland, which include the Strathclyde Britons and the Goddodin at Dun Eiden (modern Edinburgh), as well as the Northumbrian, Anglo-Saxon newcomers, all of whom would vie for power and territory. A timeline, drawn largely from English and Irish monastic sources, is included and is extremely helpful.
The following section gives a very good overview of the early historic Scottish forts, which Konstam divides into four types. These are fortified homesteads (broochs and ring forts), reoccupied hill forts, promontory forts, and citadels and nuclear forts. There are of course a great many examples of each, and Konstam chooses to discuss some of the best examples of each rather than giving an exhaustive list. Each is illustrated by relevant drawings, photos, and graphics to illustrate it. Particularly impressive is that of Alt Clut (Dumbarton Rock) belonging to the Strathclyde Britons and taken by a Viking army in 870. Although placed in this location for illustrative purposes, this may perhaps be a bit confusing to a non-specialist, since the Vikings enter the picture much later. The highlights of this section of the book are the forts of Dundurn and Dunadd. Dundurn is identified as a Pictish stronghold, while Dunadd is believed to have been a rival—a seat of power for the Dal Riata Scots (their identity is based upon testimony from the Annals of Ulster). It would also appear that each was besieged by the other's rulers in 683. Each is well described, and supported by detailed photographs and drawings.
The next section of the book details how sites such as these were defended, and postulates other uses for them. The defenses were hardly complex, but were effective given the natural terrain where they were built. All made excellent use of high ground and location. In addition, the sites were probably living sites for the military elite, although it is not known how these polities were divided and further sub-divided, and thus, the exact relationship between each. Written sources here offer some minimal clues. Konstam correctly points out that the sources need to be viewed with some trepidation. He notes, for instance that Adomnan has his saintly hero, Columba, was supposed to have encountered the Loch Ness monster! (45)
The final section of the book deals with these types of sites in warfare, and the aftermath of these wars. There is evidence of a Pictish civil war as well as battles with their neighbors. Siege warfare was probably the name of the game, as historical sources give the names and dates of many sieges, although they are silent on the details of battle and the reasons for the wars. Finally, the arrival of the Norsemen proved to be a greatly destabilizing influence. The Norse simply "didn't play by the rules" (56) and their arrival and raids in the eighth and ninth centuries happened to coincide with the time when Pictish power was waning and that of the Scots was growing. The Scots and Britons were rapidly coming together as Alba and hence moving towards medieval Scotland, while the Northumbrians and Picts were squeezed out of the picture. Whenever the end came for the Picts, it came quickly and was passed over by the chroniclers. This disappearance has always been somewhat of a mystery, and it has long been assumed that the Picts are gone. It is now known that the Pictish people are not completely gone, only their cultural and political apparatus. In his recent study of the genetics of the British Isles, called Saxons, Vikings, and Celts, Bryan Sykes has determined that the Pictish people are in some sense still present; theirs is the genetic bedrock that makes up much of modern Scotland. Perhaps a small point, but one that might have been mentioned in this context.
As is typical of books in the Osprey series, the book is well illustrated, comprising photographs, drawings, and full color illustrated plates courtesy of Peter Dennis. The photographs are well-described and sometimes helpful, but sometimes seem to lack the context that can only come from seeing the area on the ground. The first rate illustrations more than compensate, leaving little doubt as to the probable appearance of the strongholds. Finally, there is a section on the sites and how they appear today, and a short bibliography. Many more things could be included in this, and the author himself admits that space was a major consideration. He also lists the official, online links to many of the sites and to the numerous museums containing Pictish artifacts.
It is not hard to recommend this book to anyone interested in the Picts, Scottish history, the Iron Age, or early medieval history. It is factual, erudite and written with clarity, and the illustrations are first rate. It is a highly accessible rendering of the state of knowledge concerning Pictish forts as they are understood in 2010.
Russ Goodrich