The Mysterious Picts!

Long, long ago, in the northern part of what is now Scotland, lived a group of people called the Picts. They lived north of a big bay called the Firth of Forth. We know about them because of old stories and amazing stones they carved with pictures and symbols.

These stones are like secret messages from the past! They were probably related to other tribes who lived in Scotland even earlier, like the Caledonii.

The Picts lived in a land that historians call Pictland. At first, it was like a bunch of different neighborhoods, each with its own leader. But later, one big kingdom called Fortriu became the most important.

For a while, the Picts even called themselves by a name that meant 'Picts'! Eventually, their kingdom joined with another one to create a new land called Alba. It was like two playgrounds joining together to make one super-playground!

The Picts left behind really cool carved stones. These stones have pictures of animals, strange symbols, and sometimes even people. No one knows exactly what all the symbols mean, which makes them super mysterious! Some stones might tell stories or show important people. It's like a treasure hunt trying to figure out their secrets. These stones are the best clues we have about their lives.

The Picts had their own language, which was a type of Celtic language, a bit like the languages spoken by people in Wales or Brittany today. But over time, more and more people started speaking a different language called Gaelic. So, the Pictish language slowly disappeared, and the Picts became part of the new kingdom of Alba.

It's like when a new game becomes popular, and everyone starts playing it instead of the old one.