Rhynie, Aberdeenshire
Rhynie[pronunciation?] (Scottish Gaelic: Roinnidh) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland which the A97 road runs through, situated 14 miles northwest of Alford.
The Rhynie Chert is named after the village as well as the extinct plant genus Rhynia.
The missionary, teacher and engineer Alexander Murdoch Mackay was born in Rhynie on 13 October 1849.
History[edit]
Eight Pictish symbol stones have been found at Rhynie, including the "Rhynie Man", a 6 foot tall boulder carved with a bearded man carrying an axe, possibly a representation of the Celtic god Esus, that was discovered in 1978. The "Rhynie Man" now stands outside Woodhill House (the headquarters of Aberdeenshire Council ) in Aberdeen.[1]
In 2011 archaeological excavations at Rhynie, near the site of the "Rhynie Man", by archaeologists from Aberdeen University and Chester University uncovered a substantial fortified settlement dating to the early medieval period. Among the finds at the site were fragments of a late 5th or 6th century Roman amphora that must have been imported from the Mediterranean region. This is significant as it is the only known example of a Roman amphora from Eastern Britain dating to the post-Roman period, and indicates that the inhabitants of the settlement must have been of high status. Archaeologists working at the excavation have speculated that the settlement may have been a royal site occupied by Pictish kings.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Urquhart, Frank (16 November 2011). "Archaeologists find village fit for Pictish kings". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
Sources[edit]
- Rhynie in the Gazetteer for Scotland.
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Coordinates: 57°19′N 2°50′W / 57.317°N 2.833°W
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