Sueno's Stone

At 7m tall and thought to be in its original position, Sueno's stone is a stunning example of Pictish art.
Now encased in a protective glass and steel box the stone stands on the outskirts of Forres. This area overlooks the once marshy floodplains of the Findhorn and Mosset Rivers. The stone must have been visible from over a wide area.

One face depicts a gruesome battle scene with horsemen in combat and piles of corpses and severed heads - if this represents a specific battle it presumably took place around the time of carving thought to be 800 - 900 AD. This was a period when the Pictish kingdoms were suffering f attack from invading Norse raiders.

The other face has a Christian cross beneath which is what appears to be a royal inauguration.

Two very different but possibly linked images. There is now a frustrating degree of enigma attached to these wondrous carvings.