Pictish Arts Society - Lecture Syllabus 2026-2027
Lectures are held on Fridays at 7.30pm (UK time), on Zoom.
Lectures are for PAS members only. If you like the look of the syllabus but aren't currently a member, why not check out all of the perks of membership and join the PAS here?
A joining link will be sent by email to all members in good time for each lecture.
Friday 16th October 2026
A Further Assessment of the Conan Stone, a Class II Pictish Cross-Slab
Dr Michael Zambon, University of the Highlands and Islands
Illustration of the Conan Stone by John Borland, © Historic Environment Scotland
The lecture will present findings from a comparative analysis of the symbols, figural elements, and ornamentation found on the Conan Stone—an extraordinary monument discovered near Dingwall in 2019—relative to the existing corpus of Class II cross-slabs from Scotland.
The significance of the stone’s location and its relief sculpture raises tantalizing questions about the ‘migration of ideas’ from other geographical areas of Pictland. Furthermore, its form and iconography suggest the possibility that the stone may have served as a template or composite of ideas that contributed to subsequent monuments in the region.
Finally, a framework is proposed that draws on the ‘maturity’ of its ornamentation as a starting point to determine the Conan Stone’s ‘place’ within a continuum in the evolution of this important group of Pictish monuments.
About the speaker
Dr. Michael J. Zambon is an international educator and researcher with a keen interest in archaeology. He completed an MLitt focusing on Neolithic chambered cairns in northern Scotland. To expand his knowledge of British prehistory, he participated in this assessment of the Conan Stone and Pictish art as an MRes student. While contemplating his next steps towards a second doctoral degree, he is undertaking the STGA Green Badge Guide Course at UHI Orkney.
Friday 20th November 2026
Pestiferous Clouds and Dimmed Suns: Climate, Environment and Society in Early Historic Scotland
Richard Oram, Professor Emeritus, University of Stirling
Image: Richard Oram
From the 5th to 9th centuries CE, Northern Hemisphere climatic systems went through a prolonged era of profound disturbance, characterised in its earlier stages as the 'Late Antique Little Ice Age'. A descent into colder, wetter conditions brought crop failure, livestock deaths and human misery. Dearth, famine and epidemic triggered social upheaval and the reordering of political structures in response to the turbulence and shocks of the age. This talk explores the environmental history of Scotland across the half millennium from c.400 CE, drawing together climate data, palaeoenvironmental evidence, archaeology and text, to set in context the dynamics of state-building in early medieval Scotland.
About the speaker
Richard Oram is Professor-Emeritus of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling. A graduate of the University of St Andrews in Medieval History and Archaeology, and an interdisciplinary PhD in Medieval History, his work focused on land-use, lordship and society before shifting to environmental history. Appointed as a Lecturer in Environmental History at Stirling in 2002, he served as Director of the Centre for Environmental History, Head of History, and Dean of Arts and Humanities, before retirement in 2025. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland, Scotland's Churches Trust, and the Whithorn Trust. He has published extensively on Scottish medieval history and Scottish environmental history, most recently the 3-volume Environmental History of Scotland from the Romans to COP26 and Where Wind and Water Cleave: A Shorter Environmental History of Scotland.
Friday 15th January 2027
Trotting through Pictland: The Role of Horses in Pictish Society
Meg Mearns, Postgraduate Researcher, University of Aberdeen
Image of Meigle 3 by Simon Burchell - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
This lecture will look at the carved stones featuring horses to look at the role of horses in Pictland and how they were managed. It is based on a recently-submitted dissertation for MSc Bioarchaeological Science at University of Aberdeen, where, in addition to looking at the carved stones, I also investigated the horse bones from the faunal assemblage at Burghead, looking at the representation of elements, the size of horses and isotopic data to see if we can tell if the horses were local or not and if they were managed differently to cattle. A look at Pictish lifestyles from another perspective!
About the speaker
Meg Mearns has an undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and has taught in the landbased department at the local college. She has also bred Highland ponies in the Angus Glens for over 30 years.
Friday 19th February 2027
Small Churches and Religious Landscapes in Early Medieval Scotland
Gilbert Márkus, Research Associate, University of Glasgow
Abstract to follow.
Friday 19th March 2027
Pictish Shrines and Inscriptions
Dr Kelly Kilpatrick, Affiliate Lecturer, University of Glasgow
Abstract to follow.
Friday 16th April 2027
Shake those Butts: Rattling the Enemy and Martial Display in Pictland
Leanne Demay, National Museums Scotland
