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Sculptured stone

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from the island of Flotta, Orkney

Sculptured stone
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This sandstone slab, probably the front of an altar or tomb, was found on the island of Flotta in Orkney on the site of a ruin supposed to be an ancient church. It was carved between 700 and 800.

The slab is decorated with an armpit cross at its centre, the arms and centre filled with interlace. On the back are two vertical slots for the attachment of the side panels.

The best evidence for the spread of Christianity in Scotland consists of carved stones, most of them monumental crosses but occasionally shrines or tombs. The decoration on many of these stones clearly relates to that used on manuscripts and metalwork.

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