Ancient Scotland was ‘multi-cultural and diverse’ with many black people living in the area, illustrated history of British tribes claims despite genetic evidence saying otherwise
An ancient people living in Scotland have been depicted as black in a new children’s book designed to show young people the country’s ‘multicultural and diverse’ roots.
Carved in Stone: A Storyteller’s Guide to the Picts is an illustrated history of the tribes who lived in eastern and northern Scotland from 270 to 900 AD.
The book, aimed at children aged 14 and over, features caricatured images of Picts, including black villagers as well as monks, bishops and religious healers.
According to reports, the team behind the book, which is partly funded by the taxpayer-funded Antiquarian Society of Scotland, are trying to make it available for free in schools and libraries.
The project was first proposed four years ago as a role-playing game about the Picts, before being developed into a comprehensive historical work, with the creative team stating in a promotional video: ‘We’re proud to bring together some of Scotland’s leading archaeologists with a range of queer, marginalized and disabled voices to challenge misconceptions about the past.’
According to a statement on the website of heritage organization Dig It, which is partnering on the project, Carved in Stone is ‘designed to present the latest archaeological research on the Picts in a more accessible and engaging way, highlighting that the Picts, like any human society, were complex.’
It continues: ‘They responded to, developed and contributed to the cultures around them, had international connections, were artists with complex skills, held a variety of religious beliefs and did their best to accommodate disabled members of society.’
The Romans called the tribe Picti, meaning “painted people,” largely because they were said to be heavily tattooed.
An ancient people living in Scotland have been depicted as black in a new children’s book designed to show young people the country’s ‘multicultural and diverse’ roots.
Carved in Stone: A Storyteller’s Guide to the Picts is an illustrated history of the tribes who lived in eastern and northern Scotland from 270 to 900 AD.
However, according to the Telegraph, the authors of Carved in Stone ‘believe the evidence is insufficient’.
‘Although the Picts certainly had artistic talent, no tattoos appear on any of their stone carvings.
‘They also knew that although some blue pigments existed, such as indigo or copper, they were not safe for human use.’
Instead, the historians behind the book believe that although some Picts had tattoos, there were also people among them who had no tattoos at all.
Evidence suggests that the core of the Pictish kingdom was in modern-day Moray and Aberdeenshire, but also extended into the Firth of Forth and from the Isle of Skye to Shetland.
Picts are descendants of Iron Age populations long established in Britain, according to a genetic study published in 2023.
The depiction of black Picts follows the recent inclusion of images depicting St Augustine as a black man in a children’s book written by Church of England officials.
One of the most influential figures in Christian history, St. Augustine is portrayed as black in a new book called Heroes of Hope.
St Augustine is depicted as a black man in Heroes of Hope (pictured), a children’s book written by Church of England officials as part of a diversity drive.
The book aims to inspire children, he says, with examples of ‘the black and brown saints who formed the Church and therefore the modern society we know today, who are often erased from history and whitewashed’.
Aurelius Augustine was born in 345 AD in a Mediterranean coastal town in present-day Algeria and later became bishop of the settlement of Hippo in North Africa.
Over the years, most depictions of St. Augustine were of a white man.
At that time in history, the region was a Roman province, but Augustine and his mother, Saint Monica, may have come from the North African Berber ethnic group.
Although this does not make him black, there have been efforts to apply this identity to him by some groups, including Villanova Catholic University in Pennsylvania.
A university official wrote in 2023 that depicting the saint as Black was important because ‘portraying St. Augustine as a Black man actively decentres whiteness.’
The Heroes of Hope are the Rev. Dr. Paul, who was appointed deputy director of the Church of England’s Racial Justice Unit in January 2023. Co-authored by Sharon Prentis.
The unit was established in 2022 to help fulfill the Church’s commitments to ensuring racial justice following the Black Lives Matter protests.
