Scoti

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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.

Irish medieval pseudohistory explained the name by tracing the descent of the Gaels from Scota, daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh.

1 Origins
2 Livelihood
3 Society
4 Women
5 Mythology
6 Culture
7 Clans
8 Warfare
9 Clothing
10 The Scotti in Britain
11 Sources

[edit] 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 groups, 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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).

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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).

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.