The Picts were among the fierce primitive tribes living in northern Britain until their subjugation by the Scots in the ninth century. The monumental Pict art which survives shows evidence of a creative and intelligent society.

The once-thriving and energetic kingdom of the Picts is now an enigma of the past, ousted by the Scots in the 9th century AD. But the Picts left behind a rich legacy of artistic achievement, including the unsurpassed sculpture of their standing stones, whose elegant designs and symbols have puzzled generations. [from back cover]

Edited and translated Medieval texts related to the Picts and Dark Age Scotland have been compiled for the first time in this one volume collection. Recorded texts include Pictish Origin Legends written in Medieval Irish and Pictish and Scottish Regnal Lists, many of which have never previously been edited. Students and scholars will also find appendices containing lists, tables, and charts of supplemental information related to the Picts. Dictionaries of 500 personal, place, and population names associated with the Picts provide further innovative analysis of these texts. Calise has compiled a useful tool which allows scholars and students to compare and contrast the content of these texts in one handy reference book. There are no written documents attributable to the Picts, leaving their history to be created mainly by non-Picts. This refence work is an attempt to find historical truths within the mythological with the use of the available Medieval documentary sources.

Throughout history, royal dynasties have dominated countries and empires around the world. Kings, queens, emperors, chiefs, pharaohs, czars - whatever title they ruled by, monarchs have shaped institutions, rituals, and cultures in every time period and every corner of the globe. The concept of monarchy originated in prehistoric times and evolved over centuries right up to the present. Efforts to overthrow monarchies or evade their rule - such as the American, French, Chinese, and Russian revolutions - are considered turning points in world history. Even today, many countries retain their monarchies, although in vastly reduced form with little political power. One cannot understand human history and government without understanding monarchs and monarchies. This fully-illustrated encyclopedia provides the first complete survey of all the major rulers and ruling families of the world, past and present. No other reference work approaches the topic with the same sense of magnitude or connection to historical context. Arranged in A-Z format for ease of access, World Monarchies and Dynasties includes information on major monarchs and dynasties from ancient time to the present. This set: includes overviews of reigns and successions, genealogical charts, and dynastic timelines; addresses concepts, problems, and theories of monarchy; provides background and information for further research; highlights important places, structures, symbols, events, and legends related to particular monarchs and dynasties; includes a master bibliography and multiple indexes.

Presents an alphabetical listing of information on the origins, prehistory, history, culture, languages, relationships to other cultures and more regarding European peoples.

This book includes more than 1000 monarchs who have at some time ruled all or part of Britain. This includes the host of tribal and Saxon rulers prior to 1066 as well as famous monarchs such as Richard III, Elizabeth I and Charles II and all the rulers of Scotland and Wales. The book gives full details of the lives of the rulers as well as their wives, consorts, pretenders, usurpers and regents and is a geographical guide to where all Britain's monarchs lived, ruled and died including their palaces, estates and resting places.