The Picts were a people of northern Scotland who are defined as a "confederation of tribal units whose political motivations derived from a need to ally against common enemies" (McHardy, 176). They were not a single tribe, nor necessarily a single people, although it is thought that they came originally from Scandinavia as a cohesive group. Since they left no written record of their history, what is known of them comes from later Roman and Scottish writers and from images the Picts themselves carved on stones. They are first mentioned as "Picts" by the Roman writer Eumenius in 297 CE, who referred to the tribes of Northern Britain as "Picti" ("the painted ones"), ostensibly because of their habit of painting their bodies with dye. This origin of their name has been contested by modern scholarship, however, and it is probable they referred to themselves as some form of "Pecht", the word for "the ancestors". They were referenced earlier by Tacitus who referred to them as "Caledonians" which was the name of only one tribe.
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Definition
Timeline
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83 CEThe Battle of Mons Graupius in which Agricola defeats Calgacus of the Picts.
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112 CEHadrian's Wall built as boundary between Roman Britain and Pictland.
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142 CEAntonine Wall built further north as boundary between Romans and Picts.
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367 CEPicts, Scots, Saxons, and Franks attack the Roman Empire.
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397 CESt. Ninian begins conversion of Picts to Christianity.
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c. 406 CE - c. 451 CEReign of Drust I, King of the Picts.
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410 CERomans leave Britain; Picts remain unconquered.
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563 CESt. Columba begins missionary work among the Picts.
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670 CE - 706 CEReign of Brude Mac Derile, King of the Picts.
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685 CEThe Battle of Dun Nechtain; Picts defeat Angle invading force.
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710 CE - 724 CENechtan's reign and beginning of religious wars among Picts.
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724 CE - 734 CEInternecine strife between Celtic Christian Picts and Roman Catholic Picts.
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734 CE - 761 CEPicts are united under King Oengus who leads them against the Scots.
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780 CE - 820 CEReign of Constantin son of Fergus who unites the Scots and the Picts.
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820 CE - 834 CEReign of Angus son of Fergus who defeats the Angles.
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c. 843 CE - 858 CEKenneth MacAlpin unites the Picts with the Scots to become the first king of Scotland.
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c. 845 CEViking raids on Pictish lands increase.
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899 CEDeath of Giric, the last King of the Picts.