Early history

Contents

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· 1 Etymology

· 2 History

o 2.1 Early history

o 2.2 Roman influence

o 2.3 Medieval period

o 2.4 Early modern era

o 2.5 18th century

o 2.6 19th century

o 2.7 Early 20th century

o 2.8 Since 1945

· 3 Government and politics

o 3.1 Administrative subdivisions

o 3.2 Scotland within the UK

· 4 Law and criminal justice

· 5 Geography and natural history

o 5.1 Geology and geomorphology

o 5.2 Climate

o 5.3 Flora and fauna

· 6 Economy and infrastructure

o 6.1 Currency

o 6.2 Transport

· 7 Demography

o 7.1 Education

o 7.2 Religion

o 7.3 Health care

· 8 Military

· 9 Culture

o 9.1 Sport

o 9.2 National symbols

· 10 See also

· 11 References

· 12 Further reading

o 12.1 Specialized monographs

· 13 External links

Etymology

Main article: Etymology of Scotland

"Scotland" comes from Scoti, the Latin name for the Gaels. The Late Latin word Scotia ("land of the Gaels") was initially used to refer to Ireland.^[30] By the 11th century at the latest, Scotia was being used to refer to (Gaelic-speaking) Scotland north of the river Forth, alongside Albania or Albany, both derived from the Gaelic Alba. ^[31] The use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages.^[19]

History

Main article: History of Scotland

Early history

Main article: Prehistoric Scotland

See also: Timeline of prehistoric Scotland

Repeated glaciations, which covered the entire land mass of modern Scotland, destroyed any traces of human habitation that may have existed before the Mesolithic period. It is believed the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 12,800 years ago, as the ice sheet retreated after the last glaciation.^[32][33]

Groups of settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago, and the first villages around 6,000 years ago. The well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the mainland of Orkney dates from this period. Neolithic habitation, burial and ritual sites are particularly common and well-preserved in the Northern Isles andWestern Isles, where a lack of trees led to most structures being built of local stone.^[34]

The discovery in Scotland of a 4000 year old tomb with burial treasures at Forteviot, near Perth, the capital of a PictishKingdom in the 8th and 9th centuries AD, is unrivalled anywhere in Britain. It contains the remains of an early Bronze Ageruler laid out on white quartz pebbles and birch bark. It was also discovered for the first time early Bronze Age people placed flowers in their graves.^[35][36]

Scotland may have been part of a Late Bronze Age maritime trading culture called the Atlantic Bronze Age, which included other Celtic nations, and the areas that became England, France, Spain, and Portugal.^{[37][38][39][40]}

In the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths.^[41] In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll, known as "Skerrabra". When the storm cleared, local villagers found the outline of a village, consisting of a number of small houses without roofs.^[41][42] William Watt of Skaill, the local laird, began an amateur excavation of the site, but after uncovering four houses the work was abandoned in 1868.^[42] The site remained undisturbed until 1913, when during a single weekend the site was plundered by a party with shovels who took away an unknown quantity of artefacts.^[41] In 1924, another storm swept away part of one of the houses and it was determined the site should be made secure and more seriously investigated.^[41] The job was given to University of Edinburgh's Professor Vere Gordon Childe who travelled to Skara Brae for the first time in mid-1927.^[41]

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