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Unravelling the Secrets of Scotlands Newest Early Christian Stone

Douglas A Speirs

Arguably the most significant single Pictish discovery to be made in Scotland in the past century has recently been uncovered in east Fife, and its only now, some eight months after that momentous discovery that the secrets of this ancient artefact are beginning to be revealed.

Measuring almost a metre and half in length by a just over half a metre in breadth the discovery in question is no mere palm-sized artefact but is in fact a sizeable carved sandstone slab weighing in at over 100kg!

Clearly, the style of the carving and the symbolism portrayed on this stone is Christian in character. Indeed, this artefact belongs to a class of early medieval carved stones known to archaeologists as the early Christian cross-slabs (or to give them their technical name, Class III Pictish Symbol Stones). However, what sets this stone apart from the other known examples of Christian cross-slabs is the incredible intricacy and the unique symbolism of this stones carving a symbolism that is only now being deciphered.

Discovery: How do you lose something so large?

Like so many of the more important archaeological discoveries made in Scotland over the years this artefact did not come to light as a result of painstaking research, nor as result of detailed survey work, nor even as a result of methodical archaeological excavation. Rather, this stone was discovered quite by accident at the home of renowned Fife chef, Mrs Marjorie Lang.

Indeed, Majorie, along with her husband Geoff discovered the stone loosely built into a wall in a ruinous outbuilding at their country home of Kilduncan, whilst surveying the structure for possible re-development to form a new kitchen!

Immediately struck by the intricacy of the stones carving, Majorie and Geoffs suspicions that this stone might be of possible archaeological interest were confirmed when specialists described it as one of the most important Pictish carved stones to be found in Scotland in the last 100 years. and certainly, the single most significant Pictish find in Fife since the discovery of the St Andrews sarcophagus in 1819!

Indeed, detailed research into the stones carvings has now revealed the artefact to be of even greater archaeological significance than was at first thought!

Between Two Beasts You Will Know Him

Since the stones discovery, detailed research has shown that the form and decoration of the main cross is not only extremely rare, it is also immensely innovative. Indeed, it exhibits a quite unique mixture of decoration and early Christian iconography. The armpit decoration, for example, belongs to a distinctive and discrete group of monuments with quadrilobate rings, whilst thus far, no parallel is known for the radiating lentoid motifs - which possibly represent a form of early Christian processional fan known as a flabellum. The bosses that flank these lentoid motifs are similarly extremely unusual in this class of stone and this may well be one of the first uses of a decorative form that was to become quite common in later centuries.

The reverse side of the stone is even more interesting. Its obscure Christian iconography is difficult to interpret but it is likely that the two sea beasts (known as hippocamps), enclosing the low relief encircled cross-of-arcs, symbolises a passage from the old (Vespasian Psalter) text of the prophet in the Book of Habbakuk, Chapter 3: In medio duorum animalium innotesceris: Between two beasts you will recognise Him [Christ]

It is significant and characteristic of early Christian sculpture that in this case the cross-of-arcs is a direct representation of Christ. Consequently, we can clearly see on the reverse of this stone Christ appearing between two sea beasts and resting above a three-pointed triquetra knot, symbolising the holy Christian unity of the Trinity. Quite literally, this is an almost forgotten biblical story written in stone!

A Beacon of Light from Dark Age Scotland

It is apparent, however, that this cross-slab is not complete. Indeed, at the broken base of the reverse of the stone a damaged animal figure continues the Christian iconography.

Although badly damaged, there can be little doubt that what we are seeing here is a variation of the classic early Christian emblem of St Mark the Evangelist - whose narrative begins with John the Baptist crying out: a lion roars in the desert.

By the Middle Ages, the lion symbol usually appears winged, but in the earlier medieval period, and particularly on early medieval stone carvings, the wings are rarely present. This is significant, as along with the other evidence, the absence of wings allows us to date this stone and to see it in its original context.

Early Conclusions: New Light on Dark Age Fife

Much more research still needs to be done, but it is already clear at this early stage that this stone must indicate the presence of a previously unrecorded Christian Pictish church. This is perhaps not a surprise when we consider the significance of the place-name evidence of the site from which this stone comes Kilduncan.

Of course, Kil is a common early Latinised version of the Gaelic Cil, and means a church. Thus, whenever we see a Kil place-name, there is a good chance that the name is preserving evidence of the site of an early church. This is particularly the case when we get the Kil element appearing in connection with a proper name such as at Kilduncan Kil-Duncan the church of [or dedicated to] Duncan.

Now, who this Duncan was is not at all clear but he may well have been the Donnchad, or Dunnichen recorded as a saint of Iona in the early eighth century AD. But what we can be sure of is that at Kilduncan we are looking at the site of an early medieval ecclesiastical complex.

Indeed, this carved stone was almost certainly originally a grave marker that would have stood outside of the church. And, judging by the exquisite nature of its carving, it is most likely that this stone was created as a grave marker to commemorate the final resting place of this obscure Celtic saint.

A Northern Commonwealth

So what do we have? A 9th or even 10th century saints gravestone and an indication of a lost early medieval church site. Well actually, weve got much more than this because this stone can be read, almost as literally as an ancient written document might be read. Only, on this stone, it is not words we are reading, but cultural styles.

For example, in the carving of the large central panel that forms the square pseudo-crossbase on the principal face of the stone, we can see strong parallels with the artistic styles of the Viking areas of south-west Wales. Whilst the closest parallels for the lentiod motifs radiating out from the armpits of the main cross face come from 10th century Irish metalwork book shrines.

On the reverse side of the stone, the encircled low relief cross-of-arcs essentially, a highly stylised knotwork cross - has only two vague mainland Scottish parallels, with the nearest real match coming from the Bal na How stone on the Isle of Man a decidedly Norse territory during the medieval period!

Similarly, the damaged figure of the lion the emblem of St Mark the Evangelist has its closest parallel on the Papil Stone, from Shetland.

But it is the curled, flanking, s-shaped sea beasts, or hippocamps, that are perhaps the most striking feature on the reverse side of this stone. And, whilst sea-beasts are not completely unknown on other Scottish early medieval carved stones, no other known example exhibits the sheer quality and confidence of these beasts. Indeed, the finery of the decoration, the individual fish scales and the dorsal fins are unique! And again, as with the other stylistic features of the Kilduncan Stone, the closest stylistic parallels for this artwork are to be found not on mainland Scotland but on the Viking dominated islands particularly Canna and the Shetlands.

So what have we got? Well, if we identify all the parallels for the styles and symbols visible on the Kilduncan stone, then we can clearly see that this stone has striking cultural affinities not only with central Pictland, but more than this, there are also unmistakable stylistic similarities with Norse Moravia (Morayshire), the Northern Isles and the Isle of Man.

So perhaps as well as identifying beyond question the site of a previously unknown early medieval church site, the most striking feature of the Kilduncan Stone is its ability to tells us about wider cultural contacts in an age when historical documents are almost completely absent.

Clearly, the individual who carved this stone had travelled widely and was familiar with patterns and styles occurring throughout not only central Pictland, but also throughout the far-flung corners of the Viking territories.

Indeed, more than anything, this stone is forcing us to reconsider the extent and nature of cross-cultural contacts between late Pictish Scotland and the Viking territories, for as this stone tells us, those contacts cannot have been solely limited to hostile engagements.

The Kilduncan Stone was declared Treasure Trove in early 2003 and has since been awarded to Fife Council Museums Service. The stone is currently undergoing conservation work but can be viewed by appointment at St Andrews Museum, St Andrews, Fife.

Douglas A Speirs
Fife Council Archaeologist