The Chronology of the Early Christian Monuments of Scotland

Abstract

The paper presents a classification and a tentative chronology, and a review of the comparative material along with a consideration of the relvance of Pictish and Irish art. Although the whole collection of early sculptured stones in Scotland forms a very varied series, there is a main group of Christian monuments of a distinctive type of which there are more £han a hundred still in existence. These are distributed over an area extending northwards from the River Forth as far as the Shetland Islands, and westwards to the Hebrides, the majority, however, being on the east coast. The uniformly Celtic character of their decoration makes it clear that in origin they go back to the period of the Celtic Church, and that they form part of the great group of early Christian monuments which extend over Ireland, the Isle of Man, Wales, and parts of England, as well as Scotland. But, although belonging to this series, the Scottish 1 sculptures show a definite originality. A distribution map and many plates are included. \r\n