STANDING at around 12ft high and covered in intricate carvings the Hilton of Cadboll Stone is hard to miss.

Swirling designs hewn painstakingly in red sandstone surround a detailed hunting scene where a queen riding sidesaddle takes centre stage.

Academics regard the Pictish monument as one of the most iconic examples of its day, not just in Scotland but across the whole of Europe. But chances are if you asked most people if they had ever heard of it you would get a blank look in reply.

This giant slab of sandstone has become not just a symbol of what the ancient inhabitants of Scotland achieved but sadly of how little modern-day Scots know of their influence.

Still seen by many as merely pint-sized, painted warriors, our forbears were often sophisticated people who were instrumental in the foundation of Scotland as a country - and in the creation of the national flag.

They were also talented craftspeople who used stones such as the Hilton of Cadboll to demonstrate their values and creeds.

Yesterday the National Museums of Scotland, where the ancient stone is displayed, launched a new bid to shed light on what has become known as the Dark Ages to try to give these ancient peoples, such as the Picts, the Gaels and Norse their rightful place in Scottish history.

A full-time researcher is being hired thanks to a "substantial six figure" donation from whisky firm Glenmorangie, whose headquarter is near the original site of the Hilton near Tain in Easter Ross.

Their findings will be used to produce a book aimed at increasing the public's understanding of early Scottish history from 300AD to 900AD.

Andy Heald, the museum's early historic collections curator, who will work closely with the researcher on the book, believes the project was a big step forward in improving knowledge of the period.

Gesturing to about waist level with one hand he says: "If you ask school children or adults what the Picts were like they will say they were about that height.

"People know them as the painted people too, which was the name the Romans gave to them, but they were so much more than that.

"They were integral to the foundation of the Scottish nation. They were sophisticated. These stones were about saying We are here. This is our territory. These are our beliefs. This is what we can commission'.

"And they showed great craftmanship."

Pointing towards the vast stone to illustrate his point, he adds: "It is one of the finest sculptures of its time in Europe. It was carved using a hammer and a tiny iron chisel. The guy who created a replica now on display at the site of the original stone took three or four years to finish it using the same method."

The scene illustrates life in Pictland, although the lady in the centre was probably a Pictish Queen so it was unlikely to have been a common sight. Abstract Pictish symbols adorn the stone, but it is the Christian iconography which tells the main story.

"It had a huge Christian cross carved on the back (which was later destroyed), showing the influence of the spread of Christianity after St Columba arrived," said Mr Heald.

While the Irish saint's arrival in the sixth-century revolutionised religion in what would eventually become Scotland, the Dark Ages was a time of endless warring between the Picts and the neighbouring Gaels, who also arrived from Ireland to settle south-western Scotland. The land was continuously raided too by the Norse who then settled swaths of northern Scotland and its islands. There was also competition from Angles and the Saxons as they fought for land and power.

It was during one such battle in 823AD at Athelstaneford in what is now Lothian that the Saltire was born after Picts and Scots fighting Angle and Saxon enemies saw two broad lines against the blue sky in the shape of the diagonal cross on which St Andrew was said to have been crucified.

It was taken as a sign that victory would be theirs, giving the fledgling nation a flag before it was even fully formed.

By the 11th-century most of the land had finally become one united kingdom - and it was the Picts' system of kings which became the basis for the future monarchy.

While most of the carved stones are, like the Hilton, kept in museums to protect them from damage there are plenty of lasting signs of Scotland's early history across the country today.

Modern place names from Aberdeen to Perth and Coupar to Pitlochry are all Pictish, while on Iona there are still the remains of the monastery founded by St Columba in 563AD when he arrived from Ireland to start "Christianisation".

Last week, Edinburgh University Press published a book entitled From Pictland to Alba charting the demise of the different kingdoms and the creation of one nation from the late eighth-century to the late 11th-century.

James Fraser, lecturer in early Scottish history at Edinburgh University, is writing the subsequent book in the series on Scottish history, covering life in Scotland from Roman times to the late eighth-century.

Like Mr Heald, Mr Fraser is keen to promote a more accurate view of this neglected period of history.

He says: "As an early medieval people they had a full range of medieval culture including the nastier side as well as the nicer side.

"They produced a corpus of sculpture, and metalwork, but of course on the other side they lived in an age when the state structures they helped to develop had not developed fully. They lived in a world of feuding, of men and women taking the law into their own hands.

"They were capable of the most admirable but also the least admirable things that human society is capable of producing."

Commenting on public ignorance of the race, he adds: "There is a gulf between what scholars think was going on during the Dark Ages and what the public is made aware of, although I don't think Scotland is alone in that."

With Mr Fraser's book due out next year and the museum's new researcher due to start at the same time, there are signs that these early Scottish peoples will finally get the recognition which they are long overdue.


Important dates which helped shape a nation


Key events
563AD - St Columba's monastery was founded on Iona, as the saint launched his successful campaign to convert the warring native tribes to Christianity.

685AD - The battle of Dunnichen, outside Forfar, marks a turning point when the Picts beat a Northumbrian army, putting their kingdom in a stronger position.

823AD - The Saltire is born after Picts and Scots fighting Angle and Saxon enemies at Athelstaneford, in what is now Lothian, saw two broad lines against the blue sky in the shape of the diagonal cross on which St Andrew was said to have been crucified.

843AD - Kenneth MacAlpin, king of Dalriada invaded Pictland or Alba, and established the kingdom of the Picts and the Scots - from which the beginnings of the Scottish nation can be traced.

Where to find the Dark Ages today:
Iona Abbey, Iona:
Remnant's of St Columba's monastery, founded in 563AD by the saint to help spread Christianity. It is thought to be where the religious manuscript the Book of Kells was produced.

St Andrews Cathedral, Fife:
The St Andrews Sarcophagus in the cathedral museum is believed by some to be the finest piece of Pictish carving in existence. Thought to have been a late eighth-century royal burial shrine.

Hilton of Cadboll stone, Easter Ross:
One of most iconic stone carvings of its time in Europe, this giant sandstone monument was created by the Picts in the eighth-century. The original is kept at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. A replica stands on the coast near Tain in Easter Ross.

Aberlemno stones, near Forfar:
Three Pictish sculptured stones stand by the B9134 in Aberlemno village. A fourth, featuring interlaced decoration, Pictish symbols and a battle scene is in the village churchyard. Due to the risk of weather damage they are covered from October to the start of April.

The Whithorn Stones, Whithorn:
More than 60 early Christian grave markers and crosses featuring elaborate Celtic designs. Founded in the fifth-century AD, Whithorn was home to one of Scotland's earliest Christian communities with pilgrimage shrine of St Ninian.

Meigle Museum, near Glamis:
Collection of 26 Pictish carved stones, from the eighth to 10th-centuries showing the power, wealth and artistic vigour of this lost culture.