SCOTTISH HISTORY & HERITAGE

Early Scotland

The early history of Scotland, like that of most countries, is largely veiled in the mists. From piles of seashells, implements of bone and stone we can piece together a handful of basic facts of early life. Man lived in and around the coast of the mainland and the Isles making up small costal settlements. To go inland would mean forests, swamps and wild animals.

They made a living rearing sheep and cattle, eating mainly shellfish and seafoods. The people built Cairns to honour their dead. These circular stone monoliths and burial mounds are found in many places in the British Isles. The puzzle remains of how they moved these huge stones – as with Stonehenge. The burial tombs are all over the Isles. Stone monolith structures were also built on the Isles of Lewis.

With the discovery of bronze came axes with wooden handles, daggers and other basic implements. However, Scotland’s settlers tended not to move into metal work and stayed working from the sea. The Irish were the main suppliers of bronze materials.

One thousand years before Christ, the first Celtic people came from Europe. These new settlers were skilled in the working of iron. Now, armour and weaponry took a leap forward. Settlements had to be fortified, as tribal warfare had became a way of life for Caledonian and the Celts built hill forts all over Scotland.