Early Scotland was peopled by many separate tribes with Celtic roots. Naming these ancient people is a difficult, debatable and perhap futile task. There were and are Gaelic, non-Gaelic, and Latin (Roman) names for them, passed down to us through diverse channels, some of which have been twisted through time. The people who lived in this rugged and beautiful land never called themselves Picts but this is a name generally applied to the residents of early Scotland.

"Cruithne" is the Irish name given to a mythical ancestor of the Picts. Legend tells that he divided the land among his seven sons, whose names were Fib, Fidach, Foltlaig, Fortrenn, Caitt, Ce and Circinn. Fib is equated with Fife, the site of Fidach is uncertain, the others being Athfotla, Fortriu, Caithness, Aberdeenshire and Angus respectively. Whether the myth is true or not, the Pictish territories actually did number seven.

Ancient Times

The oldest traces of people in Perthshire are of burial mounds, standing stones and circles from 3000BC. Given the widespread traces of these people the population of Strathearn must have been significant, however little is known about them.

Around 1000BC the first Celts known as Caledonians arrived. They came into recorded history by making none too friendly contact with the forces of the Roman Empire in 84AD.

A great battle took place at Mons Grampius possibly somewhere in Strathearn. The Romans claim to have won this battle but only their version of events remains. Across the southern edge of Strathearn they then built a number of forts (Bertha, Fendoch, Strageath and Ardoch) connected by a line of watchtowers and fortlets. This appears to be the first Roman linear frontier (40 years earlier than Hadrian's Wall). Clearly the Romans considered the Caledonians to the northern side of Strathearn a significant threat. The Romans withdrew after a short time.

Hadrian's great stone Wall, 170km+ to the south, was constructed 122-8. In the 140's they returned to Strathearn to rebuild at least some of the fortifications and stayed some 20 years. Comparatively large amounts of Roman coinage and luxury goods found their way into Strathearn during this period. The Romans came back a third time under the personal command of the emperor Severus. Their main base was at Carpow east of Perth on the Tay. Two years later he pulled out and died in York in 211.

From this period stems the roots of why the island of Britain came to be divided into two Kingdoms - the south became a regular fully-Romanized province of the Roman Empire, the north did not. With the decline of Rome the south became 'easy pickings' for Anglo-Saxon invaders, the north did not.