The Scots; A Genetic Journey, episode 4

Here's the latest updates from Alastair and Norman Atkinson to accompany episode four of The Scots; A Genetic Journey.

ALISTAIR MOFFAT

November 2nd to Lindisfarne, magical tidal island off the North Sea coast of Northumberland. It was the first place the Vikings attacked in 793 and on an incredibly windy day, when Martin did his best to hang on to the mic, we recorded something on that event. Lindisfarne is a wonderful place and I could easily live there, cut off from the rest of the world once a day, twice if you are lucky.

NORMAN ATKINSON - ABERLEMNO

I first visited the Aberlemno stones in 1963, and the kirkyard slab with its depiction of a battle caught my imagination!

The contemporary accounts of the great battle of Dunnichen in 685 are few in number and give little information. Debate still rages about the battle, including where it took place, but our stone adds a huge amount of information which we otherwise would not have had.

The Picts left us relatively little written history, and indeed few artefacts have survived, but this stone was carved by Picts! It portrays Pictish dress, weapons, horses as well as that of their enemies, the Northumbrians.

It was a battle which would have been talked about by everyone in Britain and beyond.

We can be sure of this because of its importance to Pictish independence and the fact that the Picts killed the Northumbrian King, Ecfrith. There is no other Pictish victory over the Northumbrians which resulted in the loss of their king, and this is the very material from which bards and storytellers could weave the oral history of their great kings. This stone is therefore primary evidence that the famous battle of Dunnichen took place not far from here!

The Scots; A Genetic Journey is broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland, Wednesdays, 1530-1600