The archaeology and prehistoric annals of Scotland . and are usually of ruderexecution, and cut on unhewn stones. Of this class are the StandingStones at Kinellar and Newton, Aberdeenshire ;^ and those of Aber-lemno,2 and Kirktown of Dunnichen, in Theorists who have deemed it indispensable to as-sign to these singular monumentsan antiquity long prior to theChristian era have supposed thatthe cross has been superadded tothe older Pagan sculptures. Notraces of any such hybrid union arenow discoverable, but, on the con-trary, where we find the Christianand Pagan symbols combined, the
The archaeology and prehistoric annals of Scotland . and are usually of ruderexecution, and cut on unhewn stones. Of this class are the StandingStones at Kinellar and Newton, Aberdeenshire ;^ and those of Aber-lemno,2 and Kirktown of Dunnichen, in Theorists who have deemed it indispensable to as-sign to these singular monumentsan antiquity long prior to theChristian era have supposed thatthe cross has been superadded tothe older Pagan sculptures. Notraces of any such hybrid union arenow discoverable, but, on the con-trary, where we find the Christianand Pagan symbols combined, theyare almost invaricibly accompaniedwith elaborately interlaced patternsand figures of dragons, serpents, andnondescript monsters, bearing aclose and unmistakable resemblanceto the decorations of some of niost anciout Irish manuscripts, nearly corresponding to the era of the introduction of Christianityinto Scotland. Several of the beautiful initials from the Book ofKells, an Irish MS. of the sixth centurv, as engraved in Mr. West-. Archa;ol. Scot. vol. ii. fig. 3. fiff. 8 ; PI. - Sculptured Mon. of Angus, PI. vi. tig 3 Ihicl, PI. XIV. ficr. 1. 2 I 498 THE CHllISTIAX PHKIOD. woods Palaeograijliia, bear a close resemblance to the style of orna-ment of these sculptures ; while the interlaced knotwork on the caseof the shrine of St. Maidoc, which Dr. Pctrie conceives cannot be laterthan the eighth century, thougli less distinctly characteristic, and b}no means peculiar to Ireland, very nearly corresponds in its details tothe ornamentation frequently introduced on these Scottish , such as the Aberlemno and one of the Meigle crosses, are de-corated with raised pellets or nail-heads, manifestly derived from theornamental studs of the old British buckler, also to be found elsewhere;as on one of the Manx sanctuary crosses to be seen about a mile fromSt. Maugholds Church, in the Isle of Man. The arrangements of thefigures in some of the Scottish m
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookidarchaeologyp, bookyear1851
