MHG5033 - Symbol stone, Fiskavaig Bay
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (2)
- FINDSPOT (Pictish - 300 AD to 900 AD)
- INSCRIBED STONE (Pictish to Early Medieval - 300 AD to 1057 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
NG33SW 3 33 34.
Found on the beach at Fiscavaig, Loch Bracadale, this stone is now in NMAS (IB 213); a slab of schist (0.9m by 0.5m and 0.25m thick), it is incised on one face with double disc and Z-rod symbols.
J G Callander 1927; RCAHMS 1928; 1985.
Class I symbol stone bearing a double disc and Z-rod with a crescent and V-rod.
A.Mack 1997 p.33
A symbol-stone was noted at high-water mark on the shore of Fiscavaig Bay, an inlet of Loch Bracadale, about 1921. After being concealed for some time by shingle it was rediscovered in 1927 and presented to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMS X.IB 213).
The stone is a slab of schist, 0.89m high and 0.27m thick and tapering in width from 0.52m at the top to 0.43m above the foot, which is broken obliquely. In the upper part there is a double-disc-and-Z-rod symbol. The discs are unornamented and the Z-rod has a foliated head at the upper right terminal, but a plain fork at the other one. Below this there is a crescent-and-V-rod symbol. The crescent encloses in the left half two unequal arches contained by a larger one, but the right half is worn and only one small arch can be traced. The right terminal of the V-rod has also been obliterated, but the other retains most of its foliation. <1>
Fiscavaig, Skye & Lochalsh, Pictish symbol stone
Measurements: H 0.89m, W 0.52m, D 0.27m
Stone type: schist
Place of discovery: NG c330 340
Present location: National Museums Scotland (X.IB 213).
Evidence for discovery: found on the shore of Fiscavaig Bay around 1921 and left in situ until 1927, when it was sent to Edinburgh.
Present condition: the base is broken and the surface is very worn.
Description
One broad face of this slab bears two incised symbols: a double disc and Z-rod above a crescent and V-rod.
Date range: seventh century.
Primary references: RCAHMS 1928, no 498; Fisher 2001, 104; Fraser 2008, no 132.
Early Medieval Carved Stones Project, Compiled by A Ritchie 2016
Sources/Archives (11)
- --- Text/Publication/Article: Curle, C L. 1940. 'The chronology of the early christian monuments of Scotland', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 74 1939-40, p.60-117. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 60-117. 60-117.
- --- Text/Publication/Article: Radford, C A R. 1942. 'The early christian monuments of Scotland', Antiquity Vol. 16 1942, p.1-18. Antiquity. 1-18. 1-18.
- --- Interactive Resource/Online Database: RCAHMS. Canmore, online database of the Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). 11078.
- --- Text/Publication/Volume: Jackson, A. 1984. The symbol stones of Scotland: a social anthropological resolution to the problem of the Picts.
- --- Text/Publication/Volume: Mack, A. 1997. Field guide to the Pictish symbol stones. 33.
- --- Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1928. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Ninth report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles. . 149, No. 498.
- --- Text/Publication/Volume: Ritchie, J N G. 1985. Pictish symbol stones: a handlist 1985. 13.
- --- Dataset/Database File: National Museums Scotland. 2019. Highland Finds from the NMS Catalogue. National Museums Scotland. Digital. IB 213.
- --- Text/Publication/Volume: Wainwright, F T (ed.). 1955. The problem of the Picts. 1st.
- --- Text/Publication/Article: Callander, J G. 1927. 'A symbol stone from Fiscavaig, Skye', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, Vol 61 (1926-27), pp 241-3.
- <1> Text/Publication/Volume: Fisher, I.. 2001. Early Medieval Sculpture in the West Highlands and Islands 2001. Fisher, I.. Paper (Original). pp. 104.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NG 3300 3400 (6m by 6m) (Buffered by site type) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NG33SW |
| Geographical Area | SKYE AND LOCHALSH |
| Civil Parish | BRACADALE |
Finds (1)
- SYMBOL STONE (Pictish - 300 AD to 900 AD)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/11078 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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