A decorated red sandstone boulder now stands outside the museum at Tain. The Ardjachie Stone is a Class I Pictish stone, meaning an unshaped stone carrying Pictish symbols without a carved cross.
Farmers discovered the boulder in 1960 on Ardjachie Farm in the Tarbat peninsula. Its surface carries several dozen cup or ring marks probably dating to the Bronze Age, together with an inverted-L design and wheel image thought likely to be Pictish.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
The boulder was probably marked with cup or ring marks during the Bronze Age.
Pictish symbols, including an inverted-L design and wheel image, were later added to the stone.
Farmers discovered the decorated boulder in 1960 on Ardjachie Farm.
After discovery, the stone was moved to stand outside the museum at Tain.
Because it is uncut but symbol-bearing, it may be considered a Class I Pictish stone.
Connections
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Ardjachie Farm
Discovery place on the Tarbat peninsula.
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Tain museum
Current setting outside the museum.
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Tarbat peninsula
Easter Ross landscape rich in Pictish stones.
What to look for
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Cup and ring marks
Several dozen prehistoric marks cover parts of the boulder.
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Inverted-L design
Probable Pictish symbol on the stone.
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Wheel image
Pictish-origin design above the inverted-L.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 57.8319°N · 4.0986°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Easy going
Opening & admission
- Stone stands outside the museum of Tain.
Nearby places
Sacred place · Medieval
Dornoch Cathedral
Highland
It has served as a place of worship for eight centuries, from the seat of the medieval Bishops of Caithness to a working Church of Scotland parish…
Questions people ask
- What is the Ardjachie Stone?
- It is an uncut decorated red sandstone boulder with prehistoric and probable Pictish markings.
- Where was it found?
- Farmers found it on Ardjachie Farm in 1960.
- Where is it now?
- It stands outside the museum at Tain.
- What does Class I Pictish stone mean?
- It means an unshaped symbol stone without a carved Christian cross.
Sources
Explore more: Carved stones · Pictish & early medieval · Highland
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