Archaic Sculpturings. 161 



marginal decoration of the St. Vingeans stone, No. lo, on 

 t'le walls of the Doo Cave, Fifeshire, in the early manu- 

 scripts usually set transversely on borders, as also on the 

 borders of the " brooch " symbol occurring on the Monymusk 

 stone. A cross incised on a slab at Loch Sween, Argyle, 

 described in 1904 by Dr Christison has associated with it, 

 at two places, a set of three parallel lines, which can only 

 convey the trinitarian idea. 



The symbolism seems in Kurope to have gone out of 

 vogue very early. In its last phase it occurs as pellets on 

 late mediaeval British coins. The trefoil of the Irish manu- 

 scripts may survive in the shamrock, and the triskele in the 

 emblems of Sicily and the Isle of Man. These seem to be 

 all that modern man has to show for a once widespread group 

 of symbols found as far away as the North American con- 

 tinent, where the tri-form patterns were engraved on shells 

 by the pre-Contact men. 



\T. — PicTisH Symbols at Anwoth. 



Near the approach to the summit of the vitrified fort at 

 Anwoth are remarkable sculpturings. They probably belong 

 to about the seventh century a.d. They are of interest 

 because of their possible association with the fort, their geo- 

 graphical position, so far away from the district to which 

 the Pictish symbols are almost restricted, and the uniqueness 

 of some of the designs. On the upper left-hand corner is 

 the double-disc traversed by the Z-shaped rod (Fig. No. 22). 

 To the right, and separated by a natural fissure, is found a 

 figure like a dagger-blade with small handle. Well removed 

 from the figures mentioned, at the left-hand corner, is a small 

 human face with two horns projecting a considerable length 

 and ending in spirals. The association of the familiar 

 " floriated rod " and the " double-disc " already discussed 

 brings the other figures into the great family of the Pictish 

 symbols. The human head furnished with two lines running 

 out frQm the top of it like antennae are meant to be eyes, 

 which are thus projected to indicate the idea that the man 

 has a wide range of vision — and that it is directed towards 

 a desirable goal. As he looks upwards the expanse of his 



