The Picts lived in northern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages, and this stone face may have been a rudimentary portrait created by them nearly 1,000 years ago.
University of AberdeenThe Pictish stone carving that seems to be a representation of a human face.
A small carved stone fragment depicting what appears to be a human face has been discovered at East Lomond hillfort in Fife, Scotland, in a find that may rewrite what is known about Pictish art and identity.
The artifact, about four inches in size, was uncovered by University of Aberdeen archaeology student Jodie Allan during volunteer excavation work.
A Rare Discovery That Could Rewrite Pictish History
Allan was sifting soil from an early medieval building at the site through a sieve when she spotted something she first believed to be slag. However, the material’s unusual color prompted further examination. Upon closer inspection, Professor Gordon Noble recognized that the stone fragment carried a schematic carving of a face: two eyes, a nose, and what appears to be a hairline.
“I had no idea I was holding anything significant,” Allan said in a statement released by the University of Aberdeen. “But I took a closer look because of its size and because the color — a sort of oxidized coppery green — caught my eye. I showed it to Professor Noble who took one look at the stone and his reaction told me it was something special — with what appears to be a carved face on it.”
University of AberdeenProfessor Gordon Noble and Jodie Allan, the student who made the discovery.
The find comes from East Lomond, a hillfort and adjacent settlement believed to lie at what would have been the southernmost edge of Pictish territory.
Excavations have revealed material culture indicating contact with the wider early medieval world: Roman imports such as Oxfordshire Ware pottery and “E‐ware” from northern France. These suggest East Lomond was not isolated but part of long‐distance trade and cultural exchange networks.
Professor Noble and excavation partner Joe Fitzpatrick of the Falkland Stewardship Trust have been leading work at East Lomond since at least 2022, with community volunteers, students, and specialists collaborating. The building from which the face was retrieved is part of what archaeologists think was the final phase of activity in the settlement, dating from the fifth to seventh centuries C.E.
“It is incredibly rare to have a representation of a human face in this time period,” Noble said. “We’ll have to look at all the parallels, but if it really is a human face it’s nice to think it could be a rudimentary portrait of a local Picts who lived at East Lomond.”
Most surviving carvings are symbolic rather than representational. Noble said this fragment adds a window into how Picts may have represented individuals — not just abstract symbols — for family or community rather than for public display.
East Lomond Is Proving To Be An Archaeological Treasure Trove
Other recent finds at the site bolster the argument that East Lomond was a high‐status settlement. Alongside the carved face, the 2025 dig recovered a complete iron mattock head and fragments of weaponry. Hearths built on top of older hearths, buildings replacing earlier structures, and well‐preserved objects suggest continuous occupation and investment in material culture.
“East Lomond is turning out to be such an amazing site,” Professor Noble remarked.
Facebook/Gordon NobleThe stone face as it was found during the dig at the East Lomond hillfort.
To confirm the stone’s age and cultural context, the team will carry out radiocarbon dating of floor layers and deposits associated with the building. They also plan to compare the carving with artistic parallels from early medieval Europe to understand its style and significance.
“This is an early schematic carving… [It] resembles some of the human faces you see in early medieval manuscripts,” Noble said, adding that fully understanding what this object represents is now a priority.
Archaeologists think that if this really is a human face, it may reflect how Pictish identity was expressed locally.
“The face suggests that Pictish people here were making more expedient carvings,” Noble said, “perhaps something for family members living at the site rather than public display like the more famous Pictish symbol stones.”
After reading about this possible piece of Pictish history, go inside the enduring legend of the Loch Ness monster and how Pictish carvings influenced it. Then, discover the history of the Druids, the Celtic priests of ancient Britain and Gaul.
