Scoti or Scotti (Old Irish Scot, modern Scottish Gaelic Sgaothaich) was the generic name given by the Romans to Gaelic raiders from Ireland. Some of them, from the nascent Kingdom of Dal Riata, in what is now Ulster, settled in Argyll (Earra-Ghàidheal, East Gaels), where they extended the Kingdom of Dalriada. In time the name became applied to all the people within the regions successive generations conquered, hence the modern words Scot and Scotland. It is not believed that any Gaelic groups called themselves Scoti in ancient times, except when referring to themselves in Latin. Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language which can be, more or less, fully reconstructed from extant sources. ... // Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, whose language is of the Gaelic (Goidelic) family, a division of Insular Celtic languages. ... Dalriada or Dál Riata (as it was called in Ireland) was the kingdom of the Scotti, who migrated from County Antrim in Ulster to Argyll and eventually gave their name to Scotland. ... Statistics Area: 24,481 km² Population (2006 estimate) 1,993,918 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ... Argyll, archaically Argyle (Airthir-Ghaidheal in Gaelic, translated as [the] East Gael, or [the] East Irish), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a traditional county of Scotland. ... Dalriada or Dál Riata (as it was called in Ireland) was the kingdom of the Scotti, who spread from eastern Ulster to Argyll and eventually gave their name to Scotland. ... Wiktionary has a definition of: Scot A Scot is a person from Scotland. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity(English) Wha daur meddle wi me? (Scots)[1] Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots[2] Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Irish medieval pseudohistory explained the name by tracing the descent of the Gaels from Scota, daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Scota, in Irish mythology and pseudohistory, was an Egyptian princess to whom the Gaels traced their ancestry, explaining the name Scoti, applied by the Romans to Irish raiders. ... Pharaoh was the ancient Egyptian name for the office of kingship. ...

Origins

The earliest accounts of the Scotti are from Roman sources, particularly Ammianus Marcellinus who describes their relentless raids on Roman Britain. The Scotti are confirmed by later sources to be the Gaelic speaking inhabitants of Ireland. The language of these people, as mentioned, is Gaelic, which falls into the Q-Celtic family of languages along with the languages of ancient northern Spain (Galician, Cantabrian and Celtiberian). This is confirmed by archaeological finds such as the Botorrita tablets and strangely by Irish sources such as the Leabhar Gabhala, which claims that the Gaels conquered Ireland after migrating from Spain. Genetic studies also support the claim that Ireland and Britain are genetically similar to northern Spain. It would appear as if the Gael migrated across the sea from northern Spain to Ireland and then established themselves as a dominant minority over other gruops, Celtic, Germanic and Pictish, which the Romans collectively called Attacotti. They gradually spread and assimilated these groups until by the 11th century only Gaelic was spoken in Ireland. The maps of the geographer Ptolemy support this thesis, showing Spanish groups such as the Concani, a Cantabrian tribe, Pictish tribes like the Venicones, Belgae Celts like the Iverni and Uterni and Germanic groups such as the Cauci and the Belgic Menapii. Ammianus Marcellinus (325/330-after 391) was a Roman historian who wrote during Late Antiquity. ... Principal sites in Roman Britain Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between 43 and 410. ... Gaelic as an adjective means pertaining to the Gaels, whether to their language or their culture. ... Goidelic is one of two major divisions of modern-day Celtic languages (the other being Brythonic). ... Galician (Galician: galego) is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia. ... Cantabrian Mountains (Span. ... The Celtiberians dwelt in the Iberian Peninsula and spoke a Celtic language. ... Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of poems and prose narratives recounting the mythical origins and history of the Irish race from the creation of the world down to the Middle Ages. ... The words Celt and Celtic can have a variety of meanings. ... The Picts inhabited Caledonia (Scotland), north of the River Forth. ... The name Attacotti (also Atecotti, A(t)ticotti, Ategutti) appears in several late Roman texts. ... A medieval artists rendition of Claudius Ptolemaeus Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: ; c. ... The Belgae were a group of nations or tribes living in north-eastern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 1st century BC, and later also attested in Britain. ... The Menapii were a Belgic tribe of north-eastern Gaul in the 1st century BC, dwelling around the Rhine estuary, and extending inland towards the Ardennes. ...

Livelihood

The Ireland of Roman times was a very primitive place, with limited technology and tribal society. The ancient peoples of Ireland, were largely illiterate, except for a form of alphabet known as Ogham (as attributed to the Celtic god Ogma) which was only used for small inscriptions bearing names and serving as boundary markers and perhaps simply graffitti. Money was non-existent, and herds of cows, sheep and pigs were the main currency and the main source of sustenance. Horticulture was practiced, though not as much as animal husbandry and crops such as wheat, barley and oats were common. These Celts, lived in small villages, hamlets and ringforts which rarely contained more than 10 to 12 huts. These settlements were built in the forest and close to water supplies such as rivers. They tended to be built on easily defendable places such as hills and sea-cliffs (see: promontory forts). They tended to be defended either by stone fortification walls or earthen ramparts with timber palisades, as well as moats and chevaux de frise. Some also lived in fortified lake-dwellings known as crannogs. Note: This article contains special characters. ... OGMA-Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal, S.A., founded in 1918, is a major representative of the Portuguese Aviation Industry, dedicated to aircraft and aircraft component maintenance, repair and manufacturing. ... The word Hamlet has more than one use: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a play by William Shakespeare, and the main character therein. ... Ringfort - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Promontory Forts in the Isle of Man. ... Palisades is also a general term for steep cliffs next to a river. ... The moated manor house of Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, England Moats were deep and wide trenches, usually filled with water, to provide a barrier against attack upon castle ramparts or other fortifications. ... The cheval de frise (plural: chevaux de frise) was a Mediaeval defensive obstacle consisting of a portable frame (sometimes just a simple log) covered with many long iron or wooden spikes or even actual spears. ... A crannog is the name given in Scotland and Ireland to an artificial island or natural island, used for a settlement and usually linked to shore with a timber gangway or stone causeway. ...

Society

Gaelic society was a caste society, that is, it was divided into inherited role-based classes. There were four general classes from lowest to highest they were: slaves, peasants, warriors and priests (Bards, Seers, Druids). The poets were in charge of entertainment, acting as itinerant minstrels, telling stories, playing the harp and singing songs at the feasts held in the homes of tribal rulers for the pleasure of their guests. Druids were in charge of ceremonies and sacrifices as well as the keeping of secret knowledge about mythology and the cosmos. Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification, enforced by law or common practice, based on classifications such as occupation, race, ethnicity, etc. ... A bard is a poet and singer, with the particular meaning differing for various countries and epochs. ... Seers is a short-lived rock band from the early 90s. ... Druidry or Druidism was the religion of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic and Gallic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ...

Women

In Gaelic society, as well as in other Celtic societies noticed by the Romans, women were allowed to own a great deal of property and social-status, some women even attained to the status of queen, such as queens Medb and Macha of the Ulster Cycle. Gaelic women, like their other Celtic cousins are thought to have enjoyed a great deal of sexual freedom, such as queen Medb who had multiple lovers in addition to her husband Ailill. Allusions in Irish literature and Roman comments of marital customs among the Brythons and Celtiberians (Such as Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico and Strabo's History and Geography of Spain) which mention Celtic polyandry where women are allowed to marry several men make it safe to assume that such practices also held true in Ireland at this time. (, Medb, Medhbh, Meabh, Maeve, Maev) is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. ... In Irish mythology, Macha is a goddess linked with war, horses and kingship. ... The Ulster Cycle, formerly the Red Branch Cycle, is a large body of prose and verse centering around the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster. ... In Irish mythology Ailill was king of Connacht and husband of Medb during the events of the Ulster Cycle. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Celtiberians (or Celt-Iberians) were a Celtic people living in the Iberian Peninsula, chiefly in what is now north central Spain and northern Portugal, before and during the Roman Empire. ... Gaius Julius Caesar [1] (Latin pronunciation ; English pronunciation ; July 12 or July 13, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC), often simply referred to as Julius Caesar, was a Roman military and political leader and one of the most influential men in world history. ... De Bello Gallico (literally On the Gallic Wars in Latin) is an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul. ... The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ... In social anthropology and sociobiology, polyandry (Greek: poly many, andros man) means a female forming a stable sexual union with more than one male. ...

Mythology

The Celts were superstitious and polytheistic, worshiping a variety of gods, which are generally found in the pantheons of other Celts, such as the Gauls and Brythons. These deities included Crom Cruach, a fertility god requiring human sacrifice which was worshipped in the plain of Magh Slecht. Also, there was the Dagda, Irish version of the Gallic god Sucellus, Lugh, the god of art, poetry and inspiration, Tuireann, the thunder god and equivalent of the Gallic Taranis. Other gods were Morrigan, goddess of war, death and terror, Boann, the goddess of the river Boyne and Eriu the goddess of sovereignty in Ireland after whom the Island is named among others. (See also: Irish mythology, Celtic polytheism, Tuatha De Danaan). Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. ... Gallia (in English Gaul) is the Latin name for the region of western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Magh Slécht (pronounced Moy Slett) is the name of an historic plain in Ireland. ... The Dagda is an important god of Irish mythology. ... Sucellus was the god of agriculture, forests and alcoholic drinks in Lusitanian mythology. ... Lugh (earlier Lug, modern Irish Lú, pronounced //) is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. ... In Celtic mythology, Tuireann was the father of Creidhne, Luchtaine and Giobhniu by Brigid. ... In Celtic mythology Taranis was a god of thunder worshipped in Gaul and Britain and mentioned, along with Esus and Toutatis, by the Roman poet Lucan in his epic poem Pharsalia. ... The Mórrígan (Morrígan, Morrigu, Mór-Rhioghain) (great queen or phantom queen), is an Irish goddess of war and destruction. ... In Irish mythology, Boann or Boand (white cow) was the goddess of the River Boyne. ... The Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, which course is about 70 mi (112 km) long. ... In Dal-Riada and Irish mythology, Ériu (pronounced Ey-riu), or Éri, was the personification of Ireland and mother of Bres by Prince Elatha of the Fomorians. ... The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts. ... This article is about a mythical people of Ireland. ...

Culture

As shown by contemporary sources and Irish literature, the Gaels were primarily a warlike culture. Warrior status and acts of violence were highly prestigious. The Gaelic warriors practiced relentlessly their martial arts (like Cu Chulain in the Tain Bo Cuailnge), getting up in the early morning and practicing for several hours, while leaving all the work to be done by peasants, and slaves. Gaelic men organized themselves into "youth-troops" which engaged in constant martial excersize and raiding until they grew beards (a sign of manhood) and married women. Other prestigious activities included hunting, for which a special club was formed called the Fianna (see: Fenian Cycle) as well as being a wandering minstrel or a priest. Gaelic men were also very vain and conscious of their physical appearance. They bathed daily in rivers and shaved off all of their body hair, except for their head and beard. In this culture, hospitality was of utmost importance and guests were entertained lavishly by all, even without being invited. Feasts were held regularly by chieftains and kings for their retinues of warriors and poets. Mead, beer and meat were consumed in high quantities during these feasts, and jesters, warriors, jugglers and poets entertained the guests with their various art forms, music and legends. Another peculiar practice of the Gael was to send their children into foster parentage, usually with their fathers' sister. Young Cúchulainn, 1912 illustration by Stephen Reid. ... The Táin Bó Cúailnge, or Cattle Raid of Cooley, is the central tale in the Ulster Cycle, one of the four great cycles that make up the surviving corpus of Irish mythology. ... In Irish mythology, the Fianna were Irish warrior-hunters who served the High King of Ireland in the 3rd century AD. Their adventures were recorded in the Fenian Cycle. ... The Fenian Cycle also known as the Fionn Cycle, Finn Cycle, Fianna Cycle, Finnian Tales, Fian Tales, Féinne Cycle, Feinné Cycle, Ossianic Cycle and Fianaigecht, is a body of prose and verse centering on the exploits of the mythic hero Fionn mac Cumhaill and his warriors the Fianna Éireann. ... Mead Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast. ...

Clans

Ireland at this time was a tribal society, that is they were divided into common ancestry groups or clans. Endemic warfare between these clans was a constant affair, often very violent and ritualized. Ireland was divided into five different tribal provinces, each with its ritual center (a ringfort often used as a capital and center of religious gatherings and sacrifices). These were Mumhan, with its center at Cashel, Laighin, centered at Dun Ailinne and Dun Naas, Uladh, centered at Emhain Macha, Cruachan, centered around Cruachu and Midhe centered at Temair (Tara) and Uisneach. These gave rise to the modern provinces of Munster, Leinster, Ulster, Connacht and Meath respectively. Cashel (Irish: An Caisleán) is a town in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, located south of the midlands of Ireland. ... Statistics Area: 19,774. ... The Ulaid or Ulaidh (singular Ulad or Uladh) were a people of early Ireland who gave their name to the province of Ulster. ... Emain Macha seen from the outer bank, the 40 metre mound in the background, courtesy of pdphoto. ... Cruachan is an Irish Celtic metal band founded in 1992 by Keith Fay after the end of Minas Tirith which existed since 1989. ... // Tara, Ireland, the home of the High Kings of Ireland Tara, Russia, a town in Omsk Oblast, Russia Tara, Saga, a town in Saga Prefecture, Japan Tara Mountain and Tara National Park in Serbia Tara River (Montenegro) in Montenegro, the largest tributary of the Drina River Tara River (Russia) in... Statistics Area: 24,607. ... Statistics Area: 19,774. ... Statistics Area: 24,481 km² Population (2006 estimate) 1,993,918 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ... Connaught redirects here. ... Meath (An Mhí in Irish) is a county in the Republic of Ireland, the county is often informally called The Royal County. ...

Warfare

The Gael, as mentioned above, were a warrior society. Clan wars were frequent and the objective was the theft of enemy cattle rather than the overthrow of a particular clan. Single combat between champions was common and guerrilla warfare was the norm, as the geography of Ireland at this time consisted mostly of forests, swamps, glens, bogland and river-crossings. The Gael way of warfare was centered around the horse, with chariots and by the late 6th century cavalry playing the main role in warfare supplemented by proffeional cattle thiefs known as "kern". Weapons used were slings, javelins, bows, darts, spears and short swords and round or oval shields. Armour was rare as Gaelic warriors could not afford it and considered it cumbersome, instead, most fought naked except for cloths tied around their waist as a form of belt from which to hang a scabbard and quiver. It was also common for warriors, especially cavalry to wear tight trews, known as breaches, which were generally either plain colored or twill or tartan patterned and usually reaching either to above or just below the knee. (see also: Gaelic Warfare). Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about forests as a massing of trees. ... A freshwater swamp A swamp is a wetland that features permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water, generally with a substantial number of hummocks, or dry-land protrusions. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Virgin boreal acid bogs at Browns Lake Bog, Ohio A bog is a wetland type that accumulates peat, a deposit of dead plant material. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... For the torpedo-shaped underwater vehicle ridden by two frogmen, sometimes referred to as a chariot, see Human torpedo. ... Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat are commonly known as cavalry (from French cavalerie). ... Look up Kern in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Home-made sling. ... The javelin throw is an athletics (track and field) throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear-like object made of metal and fibreglass. ... A bow is a weapon that shoots arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow and/or its string. ... A standard dart board. ... A spear is an ancient weapon, used for hunting and war. ... The word swords can refer to: Swords, Dublin swords (blades) Swords, a suit in the Tarot SWORDS, a ground-based military robot This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... This article is about the handheld defensive device. ... For other uses, see Armour (disambiguation). ... A twill weave can easily be identified by its diagonal lines. ... A tartan is type of pattern, originating in woven cloth, but now used in many materials. ... ==unique aspect versus other Celts is the reliance on a battle axe in earlier society. ...

Clothing

Most people went naked except for a mantle, something like a woolen blanket worn over the shoulders and fastened with a pin or thorn or brooch. Animal skins were worn, as were waist-bands, jackets and trews for warriors. Conical hats were common and the very wealthy, especially Druids could afford to wear a linen tunic, often dyed with saffron called a "Leine". This usually had long sleeves and was girdled at the waist producing a skirt like dress which went to above the knee or for the wealthiest to the ankle. Shoes were very uncommon and even the wealthiest regularly went barefoot. Wealthy women wore long Leines without sleeves and cloaks with hoods to cover their heads. but as mentioned before, this was restricted to the wealthy and the majority of people would have been naked except for a cloak. Men wore hair long to their shoulders, often with two braids in the front. Moustaches and beards were common. Women wore hair even longer and were also fond of braiding. Jewelry was uncommon as the Gael were mostly poor tribesmen with little means of obtaining Luxury, living in the woods. It is also possible that tattoos would have been common as the Gael came in close contact with the Picts who tattooed themselves all over the body with blue woad. Aquamarine, platinum and diamond brooch/pendant worn by Mrs. ... Druidry or Druidism was the religion of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic and Gallic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ... Tupa Inca tunic The tunic was the common masculine garment of Roman civilization. ... Binomial name Crocus sativus L. Saffron (IPA: ) is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. ... A replica of the Hilton of Cadboll Stone. ... Binomial name Isatis tinctoria L. Woad (or glastum) is the common name of the flowering plant Isatis tinctoria in the family Brassicaceae. ...

The Scotti in Britain

The Gael regularly raided Roman Britain in collusion with their allies the Attacotti and Picts, as well as Saxon mercenaries, but by the 6th century their focus turned from pillaging to colonizing. The Gaelic tribe of the Dal Riada from Ulster (northern Ireland) settled in the western coast of Scotland, among the Picts during the 6th century AD. Other Scotti settlements in Britain during this time were by the Laighin of Leinster and Ui Liathain tribe of Munster which settled mainly in Wales (Gwynedd and Dyfed). The settlements of Wales were attacked by the local Brythons and destroyed, while Dal Riada remained among the Picts, after many centuries of warfare and domination by their Pictish neighbours, the Dal Riada eventually overthrew them during the reign of their king Kenneth MacAlpin, merging the two peoples to form the kingdom of Alba or Scotland. This nation has retained the latin ethnonym for the Irish in "Scotti" land. Principal sites in Roman Britain Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between 43 and 410. ... The name Attacotti (also Atecotti, A(t)ticotti, Ategutti) appears in several late Roman texts. ... A replica of the Hilton of Cadboll Stone. ... Saxon may refer to: The Saxon people The Anglo-Saxon people Saxon language: Anglo-Saxon language (the ancestor language of English) Lower Saxon language (a variety of Low German) Old Saxon language (the ancestor language of Anglo-Saxon language) Upper Saxon dialect (a variety of High German) An inhabitant of... Satellite image of northern Britain and Ireland showing the approximate area of Dál Riata (shaded). ... Statistics Area: 24,481 km² Population (2006 estimate) 1,993,918 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ... This article is about the country. ... Gwynedd is an administrative county in Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. ... Dyfed was one of the ancient kingdoms (or principalities) of Wales prior to the Norman Conquest. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Kenneth I the Hardy (ca. ...

Sources

Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico

Gildas, De Excidio et Conquistiu Britanniae

Geoffrey Keating, History of Ireland

Lebor Gabhala na-hEireann

Tain Bo Cuailnge

Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum