Burghead Bulls
The Burghead Bulls are a group of carved
Interpretation of the stones' original role has varied. Some scholars have suggested they were displayed on the fort's ramparts as symbols of power; others have seen them as having a votive role in a frieze as part of a pagan fertility cult; while others argue they were standing stones lining a processional route through the ramparts, a role suggested by their likely original kite-shaped form.[2] The Bulls probably represent an early pre-Christian phase of the fort's existence in the 7th or late 6th centuries, while the later shrine panels and cross-slabs represented by the Burghead sculpture fragments indicate the presence of an Early Christian centre during a later period, as the association between the church and royal power grew from the 7th century onwards.[3]
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Burghead 1 on display at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
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Burghead 2 on display at Burghead Visitor Centre
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Burghead 3 on display at Elgin Museum
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Burghead 5 on display at the British Museum, London
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Burghead 6 on display at Elgin Museum
Type | Date | Material and Dimensions | Location found | Date found | Current location | Notes | |
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Burghead 1 | Symbol stone | 7th century | Sandstone, H 0.69m x W 0.43m x D 0.08m | Burghead Fort or Burghead Well | 1809 | National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh | Some sources claim that this was discovered in Burghead Well, but the earliest source is clear that it was in fact discovered during quarrying of the fort ramparts in 1809.[4] |
Burghead 2 | Symbol stone fragment | 7th century | Sandstone, H 0.31m x W 0.48m x D 0.10m | South Quay, Burghead Harbour | 1862 | Burghead Visitor Centre | [5] |
Burghead 3 | Symbol stone fragment | 7th century | Sandstone, H 0.41m x W 0.53m x D 0.18m | Burghead | Before 1867 | Elgin Museum | [6] |
Burghead 4 | Symbol stone fragment | 7th century | Sandstone, H 0.28m x W 0.28m x D 0.10m | South Quay, Burghead Harbour | 1867 | Burghead Visitor Centre | Discovered during the demolition of a house in South Quay.[7] |
Burghead 5 | Symbol stone | 7th century | Sandstone, 0.53m x W 0.53m x D 0.08m | Burghead | Before 1809 | British Museum, London | Exhibited at the Society of Antiquaries in London in 1809.[8] |
Burghead 6 | Symbol stone fragment | 7th century | Sandstone, H 0.61m x W 0.46m x D 0.15m | South Quay, Burghead Harbour | 1884 | Elgin Museum | [9] |
References
- ISBN 9780199234820. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Noble 2019, p. 54.
- ^ Noble 2019, pp. 54–55.
- ^ Ritchie, A (2017). "Burghead 1, Moray, Pictish symbol stone". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Ritchie, A (2017). "Burghead 2, Moray, Pictish symbol stone fragment". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Ritchie, A (2017). "Burghead 3, Moray, Pictish symbol stone fragment". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Ritchie, A (2017). "Burghead 4, Moray, Pictish symbol stone fragment". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Ritchie, A (2017). "Burghead 5, Moray, Pictish symbol stone". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Ritchie, A (2017). "Burghead 6, Moray, Pictish symbol stone fragment". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
Bibliography
- Noble, Gordon (2019). "Fortified settlement in northern Pictland". In Noble, Gordon; Evans, Nicholas (eds.). The King in the North: The Pictish Realms of Fortriu and Ce. Birlinn. pp. 39–57. ISBN 178027551X.