Why read Strongholds of the Picts?

Book cover of Strongholds of the Picts: The Fortifications of Dark Age Scotland

Book description

This concise guide actually covers not just Pictish fortifications, but all those in use in early medieval Scotland, including those of Strathclyde and Rheged and of the Dal Riata. Konstam introduces the reader to the principal types of fort, including the re-use of earlier defences, before offering more in-depth surveys…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Strongholds of the Picts as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Maggie Freeman

Author

I’ve spent some time in the north of Scotland and became intrigued by the remains of Pictish forts on hilltops and by the sea. This book doesn’t provide many answers—written records before 900 AD are few and the archaeology is confused—Konstam’s conclusion is "the main benefit of any visit to one of these sites is to be able to stand on the same hilltop or promontory, and to imagine what it might have looked like in the days of the Picts." Which explains why legends and stories have grown up about castles—imagining has been…

From Maggie's list on the magic of castles.