Sculptured stone

This sculptured stone is said to have been found long ago in the well at Burghead in Moray. It is one of a number of stones with bull symbols found in and around the site of the Pictish fortress at Burghead. They were carved between 500 and 800.

The bull is naturalistically depicted with decorative scrolls defining the joints where the limbs meet the body. These scrolls are similar to those found in a Northumbrian Gospel-book, known as Echternach Gospels, of around AD 700.

The large fort at Burghead was a major Pictish settlement. A number of carvings have been found there, many depicting bulls. Various theories have been put forward to explain their significance, including religious, territorial emblems or clan totems.

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