Tea at Trianon: Pictish Stones

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Friday, October 13, 2023

Pictish Stones

From History Hit:

During the 1st century AD, the might of Rome was marching over the British Isles. Legions were conquering one tribe after another, bringing areas of modern day England and Wales under the influence of the eternal city. But there was one exception to this onslaught – Northern Britain. In the beginning the tribes living in those areas were known to the Romans as Caledonians, but in 297 AD the writer Eumenius coined the term ‘Picti’ for the first time. They managed to dwarf Rome’s dreams of subduing the whole island. The origin of the Picts has been a topic of speculation for centuries, with some chronicles believing they originated from Scythia – an ancient land that covered much of the Eurasian steppe. It seems that their language was a Celtic one, closely related to Breton, Welsh and Cornish.

The word Picti is most commonly thought to have its origins in the Latin word pictus meaning ‘painted’, referencing the supposed Pictish tattoos. An alternative explanation for the origin of the word states that the Roman word comes from a native Pictish form.

One of the most enduring legacies that we have from the Picts are their intricately carved stones that are dotted across the Northern Scottish landscape. The earliest of these were created during the pre-Christian 6th century, while others were created after the new faith took hold in the Pictish heartland. The oldest ones depicted everyday items, animals and even mythical beasts, while crosses became a more prominent motif in the coming centuries, eventually completely replacing the ancient symbols. Unfortunately little is known of the original purpose of these beautiful stones.

Come and explore some amazing images of these beautiful Pictish stones. (Read more.)