MINERVA magazine spoke to Dr Gordon Noble about the new excavation at Rhynie led by the University of Aberdeen this August which shed light on the enigmatic Pictish Rhynie Man.
Before the dig, Dr Gordon Noble, a Senior Lecturer in archaeology at the University of Aberdeen, said: 'Over the years many theories have been put forward about the Rhynie Man. However, we don't have a huge amount of archaeology to back any of these up, so we want to explore the area in which he was found in much greater detail to yield clues about how and why he was created, and what the carved imagery might mean. The Rhynie Man carries an axe of a form that has been linked to animal sacrifice – and we hope to discover more evidence that might support the theory that he was created as part of ceremonies and rituals for high-status events, perhaps even those for early Pictish royal lineages.' Visit their blog at http://reaparch.blogspot.co.uk/
The International Review of Ancient Art and Archaeology MINERVA magazine, November/December 2015, Volume 26 Number 6 Rhynie_Riddle_Minerva_Publication_Volume_26_Number_6_November-December_2015.pdf
http://www.minervamagazine.co.uk//