164 Archaic Sculpturings. 



as seen at Anwoth, stands therefore for humanity in its 

 higher aspects, co-operative and inspired. It is one of the 

 most common symbols of Pictland. 



Subordinate symbohc ideas are portrayed in this early 

 Christian carving, as in other carvings of the same class. 

 Anyone with a ruler and a pair of compasses may easily for 

 himself carry out an analytical scrutiny of such sculpturings, 

 just as in the fashion already described he could readily 

 marshal into geometrically precise positions the component 

 parts of the carvings of groups of cups and rings assignable 

 to a much earlier chronological horizon. 



In the example at Anwoth, the symbolism of which can 

 only be broadly outlined here, there is a wealth of detailed 

 significations. The human head is represented by a disc 

 with two eyes, nose and mouth. If from the last mentioned 

 point arcs are described, and also radial lines drawn so as 

 to pass through the other salient points, then the whole 

 sculpturing will be found to divide itself with remarkable 

 exactitude into very many radial spaces and concentric zones. 

 The sector so created, which contains the carved work, will 

 be found to be one of precisely 60 degrees. The radial spaces 

 seem to number about 60, or if the circle be completed and 

 so divided would give apparently one radial space for each 

 day in the solar year approximately. Other sectors can also 

 be drawn similarly. From several important points many 

 interesting circles may be described, so as to pass through 

 the more essential and apparently related parts of the design. 

 Some of these foci are — where the lowest arc in the upper 

 section meets the radial line which bisects the sector ; where 

 lines meet midway, between the two discs of the "double- 

 disc;" the top of the " dagger;" the interior contact point 

 of the two spirals in the handle of the " dagger;" the two 

 terminals of the bent " rod ;" the outside point at either bend 

 of the " rod;" the terminal of the spiral at the top of either 

 antenna; the centre of either disc of the " double-disc;" the 

 inside terminal of the spiral forming the tail of the "shrimp;" 

 the two terminals of the vesica drawn within the body of the 

 " shrimp;" and the end of the top line of its head. 



But more is discoverable. There are other focal points. 



