A nation's art & artefacts
A nation's culture is "held in its artefacts, fragile objects that human hands have made and treasured". Charlotte Higgins.
I have just finished reading an article about a Ukrainian man who is risking his life to remove precious art & artefacts from Ukrainian museums on the front line, which he then takes to safe storage. As Charlotte Higgins notes in the article,
“a nations understanding of itself is built on intangible things; stories and music, poems and language, habits and traditions. But it is also held in its artefacts, fragile objects that human hands have made and treasured. Once lost or destroyed, they are gone forever, along with the stores of knowledge that future generations might harvest from them1”.
I love examining life from a different perspective, especially when it helps to add interesting details to a person’s story. I believe that looking at objects that are quintessentially part of your heritage is an angle we rarely consider. Your choices and views on objects that you think represent your heritage may surprise you. As time moves on, as cultures shift and change, your view of your heritage may be of great value to future generations.
My nation is Scotland. Although I have visited Scotland at least once a year, I have lived elsewhere for 40 years. This means I am looking at my homeland with fresh eyes, while still remembering my childhood and family influences.
Although Higgins writes that a nation’s artefacts are “objects that human hands have made”, I would suggest that natural objects that humans have used and revered should be included as well. For instance the Stone of Scone2.
The Stone of Scone
Known in Scots as the Clach-na-cinneamhuinn or Stone of Destiny, the stone is an oblong block of red sandstone used in the coronation of Scottish, and later British, monarchs. As a symbol of royal authority, it is a significant artefact for the Scottish people.
The exact origins of the stone are uncertain. Some say it was taken from Ireland by an early Scottish king, while others say it is Jacob’s Pillow, brought back from the Holy Land by Scota, an Egyptian princess who arrived in Scotland in the 9th century. Geologists say it is ‘lower old red sandstone’, quarried near Scone.
Between the 9th and 17th centuries, 42 Scottish kings are believed to have been crowned at Moot Hill, in the grounds of Scone Palace in Perthshire. However, Scottish kings only sat on the Stone of Scone until 1296, when the army of King Edward I of England captured it during their invasion of Scotland. The stone was taken to England as spoils of war, and placed in a wooden chair (now known as the Coronation Chair), on which most British sovereigns have been crowned since. The stone was then taken back and forth between England and Scotland until the 14th century, when it remained in England.
Until 1950 when it was stolen by four Scottish students; though it was returned to Westminster Abbey a few months later. In 1996 it was agreed that the Stone of Scone should be permanently returned to Scotland.
Nowadays the Stone of Scone is only taken to England for coronations3, and otherwise resides in the Perth Museum.
The Aberlemno Serpent Stone
At the risk of focusing too much on stones, I secondly propose a Pictish stone as a precious Scottish artefact. These monumental stele4, are typically carved or incised with symbols or designs. There are many of them in Aberdeenshire, where I grew up.
The symbol stones are carved in a structured way with a variety of animal and object symbols. They were probably erected from as early as the fifth century CE, but were primarily in use in the sixth and seventh centuries. The meaning and purpose of the stones and their symbols remains unknown.
The Aberlemno Serpent Stone has symbols of a serpent, double discs, a Z-rod, and a mirror & comb. The stone is near the village of Aberlemno, Angus, Scotland.
Lewis Chess Pieces (Scottish Gaelic: Fir-thàilisg Leòdhais)
“In 1831 Malcolm MacLeod (Calum an Sprot) was tending cattle on the rich farming land of Ardroil on the west coast of Lewis, when one of his animals wondered out onto the sands of Uig Bay. As he followed the cow onto the beach to retrieve it, Malcolm noticed a small stone chamber. In the chamber was a wooden box. And in the box were 78 elaborately carved chess pieces (along with 14 other gaming pieces and a belt buckle). The treasure Malcolm uncovered, carved from walrus ivory and whale teeth, may well have been in its hiding place for over 500 years, having been carved most likely in Trondheim in Norway sometime in the 12th century.” Quoted from Visit Outer Hebrides.
One theory is that the gaming pieces were part of a merchant’s stock, possibly stolen and buried by a thief, who was unable to retrieve them. I first saw some of the chess pieces in the British Museum; and like many others I was delighted by the delicate carving and often hilarious expressions on the pieces. The main pieces are between 7 - 10cm tall.
A worried king and his anxious queen, presumably waiting for a foolish move in the game.
A Berserker5 chewing on his shield, and working himself into a trance. Used in chess as a rook.
Click here to see details of the eleven chessmen that are in the National Museums of Scotland.
What art or artefacts in your country would you try to save if they were threatened?
Ukraine’s death-defying art rescuers by Charlotte Higgins.
You pronounce Scone (as in the Stone of Scone or Scone Palace) as Scoon. Not like the baked scone!
This is a short video about the return of the Stone of Scone to Scotland in 1996.
A stele is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected in the ancient world as a monument.
Berserkers (Old Norse: berserkir) were those who were said to have fought in a trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the modern English word berserk, meaning 'furiously violent or out of control'. From Wikipedia.
What a fascinating intriguing post, Kate. Archaeology and heritage/culture! I've seen that snake stele online before, and wondered if any person has had any luck at all with interpreting the purpose of such deep detailed carvings. Thanks for the correct pronunciation of the Stone of Scone, by the way.