If we could see in a magic mirror the country now called Scotland as it was when the Romans under Agricola (81 A.D.) crossed the Border, we should recognise little but the familiar hills and mountains. The rivers, in the plains, overflowed their present banks; dense forests of oak and pine, haunted by great red deer, elks, and boars, covered land that has long been arable. There were lakes and lagoons where for centuries there have been fields of corn. On the oldest sites of our towns were groups of huts made of clay and wattle, and dominated, perhaps, by the large stockaded house of the tribal prince. In the lochs, natural islands, or artificial islets made of piles (crannogs), afforded standing-ground and protection to villages, if indeed these lake-dwellings are earlier in Scotland than the age of war that followed the withdrawal of the Romans.
Above an introduction from the first chapter from the History of Scotland, from Roman times to the present day. The history is split up in 33 chapters, and each chapter describes a certain time frame. This book originates from the Project Gutenberg. This book is free of any copyright within the United States and Scotland, and may therefore be reproduced freely. The original Author of this book is Andrew Lang.
The menu on the left will give access to each of the 33 chapters from this magnificant book. I wish the reader much pleasure in reading this very interesting work. A complete copy is available as an Acrobat File and can be obtained by clicking on the PDF link on the left. The former, and short version history page, is still available; it consists of two pages and gives a short overview of Scotland's History, the early days when the first inhabitants, Celts from Spain, populated Scotland, the vikings, the Picts and further on to Mary Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie, the clan battles and the period of enlightenment in the eighteenth century.
The picture above right is a fine example of a Celtic Cross. This cross, Kildalton Cross, is one of the most detailed Celtic crosses in Scotland and can be found on the Isle of Islay.
