ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND—The Scotsman reports that a stone carved with Pictish symbols has been recovered from the banks of the River Don in northeast Scotland by members of Historic Environment Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council, and the University of Aberdeen. The stone was exposed because the recent drought has lowered the river’s water level. The figures on the stone, made sometime between the sixth and eighth centuries A.D., include a triple disc with a cross bar, a mirror, and a notched rectangle with two internal spirals. Aberdeen archaeologist Bruce Mann said such stones are rare, and the discovery of this stone in the river could help researchers understand how they were used. It has been suggested that the symbols could represent the names of individuals or groups. To read about attempts to reassemble a broken slab carved by the Picts, go to “Game of Stones.”
