Scotland in Early Christian Times

Joseph Anderson (1832–1916), curator of the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, delivered the Rhind lectures of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland from 1879 to 1882 as a sequence on the ancient history of Scotland, and subsequently published them in book form, in reverse chronological order. His lectures on early Christian Scotland were published in two highly illustrated volumes in 1881. Volume 2 considers the apparently secular remains of decorative metalwork (including the superb gold and silver, jewel-inlaid brooches of the period) and carved stone monuments, but emphasises the lack of distinction between ecclesiastical and non-ecclesiastical (a standing stone may have a cross on one side and a secular scene on the other), while providing insights into an elaborate symbolism, surviving in part from pagan times. Two final lectures describe inscriptions in Roman, runic, Celtic and Ogham scripts. Anderson's other Rhind lectures are also reissued in this series.