Settlement, landscape and land-use change at a Pictish Elite Centre: Assessing the palaeoecological record for economic continuity and social change at Rhynie in NE Scotland

The first millennium AD was a transformative period when many of the medieval kingdoms Europe began to take shape, but despite recent advances in palaeoecological and archaeological research there remains shortage interdisciplinary collaborative targeting this period. For some regions we know relatively little about societies who lived during formative This current investigation focusses on an early elite centre near Rhynie NE Scotland; important power-centre fourth–seventh centuries as evidenced by remarkable series Class I Pictish symbol stones, fortified enclosures at Cairn more, Tap o’ Noth Craw-Stane, well high status metal-working range continental imports from Craw-Stane enclosure. However, end seventh century AD, focus appears have shifted elsewhere with More all being abandoned. By combining paleoenvironmental analysis available historical archives paper provides new insights into societal change Millennium economic, social environmental impacts caused rise subsequent abandonment nodes power. A calibrated age 260–415, base core, coincides earliest dates for complex pre-dates construction nearby results provide rare snapshot Late Roman Iron Age Medieval environment Northeast Scotland. been supported rich agricultural landscape, evidence pastoral arable farming, potential metal working. One most significant findings study has revealed that these enclosed sites people continued utilise surrounding landscape resources right through until modern times.