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THE PICTS: TRUE HISTORY OF BRITAIN
Some historians say that they may have been the closest relatives to the first Paleolithic inhabitants of the Isles, remnants that weren't as affected by the continental migrations (Bell-beaker culture, Neolithic expansion, etc) because of the isolated, remote geography of the area they lived. Scotland was settled at the end of the last glacial period roughly 10,000 years ago.
It is also speculated that their language may not have even been Celtic at all, but pre- Indoeuropean or the fusion of a pre- Indoeuropean language and the language of the Brythonic speaking people they later encountered:
John Rhys proposed that Pictish was a non-Indo-European language. This opinion was based on the apparently unintelligible ogham inscriptions found in historically Pictish areas. A similar position was taken by Heinrich Zimmer, who argued that the Picts' supposedly exotic cultural practices (tattooing and matriliny) were equally non-Indo-European, and a Pre-Indo-European model was maintained by some well into the 20th century.
A modified version of this theory was advanced in an influential 1955 review of Pictish by Kenneth Jackson. Jackson proposed a two-language model: while Pictish was undoubtedly P-Celtic, it may have had a non-Celtic substratum and a second language may have been used for inscriptions. Jackson's hypothesis was framed in the then-current model that a Brythonic elite, identified as the Broch-builders, had migrated from the south of Britain into Pictish territory, dominating a pre-Celtic majority. He used this to reconcile the perceived translational difficulties of Ogham with the overwhelming evidence for a P-Celtic Pictish language. Jackson was content to write off Ogham inscriptions as inherently unintelligible.
Jackson's model became the orthodox position for the latter half of the 20th century. However, it has become progressively undermined by advances in understanding of late Iron Age archaeology, as well as by improved understanding of the enigmatic Ogham inscriptions, a number of which have since been interpreted as Celtic.
Despite this, Eric P. Hamp in his 2012 Indo-European family tree, classified Pictish as a non-Indo-European language
The Gaelic root of the clan name "Campbell" means "twisted-mouth" (cam-beul) which is a reference to the fact that they spoke a language that was unintelligible and strange to the Gaels.
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The practice of body-painting and tattooing (Woad) is not unique to the Picts, but it is most commonly associated with them. It is believed to have been practiced by many British tribes, but what marks it as a pre-Celtic tadition is the fact that Gauls and continental Celts did not paint themselves with woad like the Britons did.
So this practice may in fact be thousands upon thousands of years old, and is not just fancy war-paint, but a long tribal-cultural tradition:
Here is a depiction in a recent movie "The Eagle" of Pictish warriors in their woad paint:
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Lastly, Pictish stone carvings and artwork depict non- Indoeuropean writings and themes:
But the symbols on these stones, apart from the knotwork Crow based on Aberlemo Churchyard Cross and spirals that are found among other Celts and other Indo-Europeans, are what mark the Picts as separate from the rest. There are many symbols not found in other Indo-European artwork and animal stylization is a bit different.
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Originally Posted by Seanachaí
United Kingdom
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