Free Republic

Embark on a fascinating journey through Scotland's genetic history, spanning 12,000 years! Discover how waves of migration - from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Vikings and Normans - have shaped Scottish DNA. Learn about groundbreaking studies revealing unexpected connections to Siberian tribes and North African genes. We'll explore regional genetic clusters, the origins of Scottish surnames, and even uncover some royal DNA! Scotland's Ancient DNA Revealed | 16:49 The History Hub | 165K subscribers | 1,137,164 views | September 15, 2024 dna scotland [YouTube search]

A unique discovery, a glittering hoard of beautifully crafted objects in silver, gold and crystal, buried in the ground and forgotten 1100 years ago. Hands on History: Rare Viking Treasure | 36:53History Hit | 1.83M subscribers | 1,547,432 views | October 7, 2024

Thousands of 'Vikings' took to the streets brandishing burning torches and axes as the ancient Up Helly Aa festival got under way on the Shetland Islands. The event, a celebration of the Scottish island's Norse heritage, drew massive crowds with many 'warriors' wearing winged helmets and sheepskins.

BBC News reports that more than 100 projectiles were recovered during an investigation of an unstudied area of Scotland's Culloden Battlefield. Fought on April 16, 1746, the Battle of Culloden marked Britain's final defeat of the Jacobite army led by Charles Edward Stuart, who was also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. Stuart had attempted to place his father, who was the son of the Roman Catholic James II, on the British throne. Yet James II had been deposed in 1688 and his line excluded from English succession under the Act of Settlement of 1701. At the time of the battle,...

The iconic Eilean Donan Castle is one of the most picturesque spots in Scotland and has even appeared in Hollywood films. According to a statement released by National Museums Scotland, an exquisite object worthy of the majestic setting was recently recovered during excavations led by FAS Heritage. The team uncovered a rare thirteenth-century tool known as a gravoir, which was used to precisely part hair and create elaborate hairstyles. The item was carved from local red deer antler and shaped into a human figure wearing a hood and holding a book. It is only the third such object of its...

Donald Trump is a US president with a uniquely strong connection to Scotland. His mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born and brought up on the Hebridean island of Lewis but emigrated to New York to live a very different life. Mary Anne was one of tens of thousands of Scots who travelled to the US and Canada in the early years of the last century looking to escape economic hardship at home. She first left Lewis for New York in 1930, at the age of 18, to seek work as a domestic servant. Six years later she was married to...

The Herald Scotland reports that prior to the construction of a new housing development in Guardbridge, Fife, archaeological excavations uncovered traces of some 10,000 years of local history. The historic village takes its name from a sixteenth-century bridge that led pilgrims across the River Eden to St. Andrews, but a team from GUARD Archaeology recently unearthed evidence that the site was a hotspot of human occupation far earlier than that. During the Upper Paleolithic period, some of Scotland's first inhabitants made flint tools at the site. Later, early Neolithic farmers left many pits across the area, which contained burnt cereal...

By now you might have seen a video clip circulating on social media of a defiant and terrified young Scottish girl wielding a knife and a hatchet to fend off the advances of a migrant man who allegedly had been harassing her and her younger sister. You can hear the fear and anger in their voices, a mix of desperation and rage and confusion. You can also hear the man’s voice, taunting them. At one point one of the girls cries out, “Don’t touch my little sister, she’s only twelve!” You might also have heard how the story ended: the...

By now you might have seen a video clip circulating on social media of a defiant and terrified young Scottish girl wielding a knife and a hatchet to fend off the advances of a migrant man who allegedly had been harassing her and her younger sister. You can hear the fear and anger in their voices, a mix of desperation and rage and confusion. You can also hear the man’s voice, taunting them. At one point one of the girls cries out, “Don’t touch my little sister, she’s only twelve!” You might also have heard how the story ended: the...

The Scottish comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli has appeared in court charged with alleged sex-related offences against three women at locations including at a BBC studio, with a trial date set for November. Mr Kohli appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Friday to face a total of six charges against three different women between 2007 and 2016. The 56-year-old Celebrity Big Brother contestant denies the charges. Alleged locations include the BBC studios at Pacific Quay, Glasgow, where he allegedly indecently assaulted a woman by squeezing her bottom and trying to hug her between April 2007 and September 2008. It is also...

Last year, when winter storms revealed a previously-unknown shipwreck on a beach on Sanday Island, one of the Orkney Islands, it launched an investigation by archaeologists and historians to uncover the mysterious vessel's identity. The Herald Scotland reports that researchers from Wessex Archaeology, Dendrochronicle, Historic Environment Scotland, and other local institutions recently tracked down the ship's origins, believing the wreck to be that of the Earl of Chatham, a 500-ton whaling ship that sank in March 1788. Before it was known by that name, however, it was formerly the HMS Hind, a ship with many years of service in the...

Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen are meeting at the US president’s golf course in Scotland to discuss the prospect of a trade deal. The summit with the president of the EU commission could mark a breakthrough in trade negotiations, ending months of uncertainty. Talks between the two leaders are now underway as part of the president’s five-day trip to Scotland, which will also see him meet with Sir Keir Starmer. On Friday, Mr Trump said there was around a “50/50” likelihood of a deal being reached between the US and the EU. The US president initially threatened 30...

Police have arrested a 67-year-old man in connection with the death of a woman over 30 years ago. Shona Stevens, 31, was found badly injured on a footpath in a wooded area near to the rear of Alder Green in the Bourtreehill Park area of Irvine on Thursday, November 10, 1994 and died later in hospital. The police investigation was hampered after vital evidence from the crime scene was feared to have been blown away by the downdraught of the helicopter ­airlifting Shona to hospital in Glasgow. Shona sadly died three days later after sustaining serious head injuries. Five weeks...

Scottish archaeologists recently unearthed the largest ancient timber building ever found in the country, reports The Herald Scotland. The discovery was made by a team from GUARD Archaeology working at a construction site for the local high school's new soccer fields. The monumental 115-foot-long hall dates to around 4000 b.c., making it 1,000 years older than Stonehenge. Its design features wattle-and-daub walls, huge roof beams, and an interior space divided by postholes and narrow channels. Researchers believe that it was built by one of the earliest groups of farmers to colonize today's Scottish territory. It may have been used for...

Eddy Burns -- Walks in Scotland, with a little Scottish history, some rambling, and a few Scottish pies. The Old Closes of Edinburgh's Royal Mile | 22:26 Ed Explores Scotland | 15.5K subscribers | 5,897 views | July 12, 2025

Unicorns appeared in Arthurian legend and are Scotland’s national animalA MYSTERIOUS “unicorn” skull has been unearthed near King Arthur’s castle. Tourist John Goodwin dug it up after spotting the long horn sticking out of moss on the edge of a Cornish cliff. When he pulled it free, he found a skull with a single tusk in the middle of its forehead — like the mythical creature. John, a plumber from Canada was near Tintagel — the supposed site of King Arthur’s Camelot castle — with wife Val and their daughter. He found the skull at St Nectan’s Glen, a spot...

Scholars have long debated the origins of the House of Piast, Poland's first royal dynasty, who ruled the nation from the tenth through the fourteenth century. Some believe they were Slavic nobles, others Moravian exiles, and still others say they were Viking warriors. The Conversation reports on new DNA analysis that has revealed shocking new information concerning the Piasts' genetic background that might potentially rewrite history. Researchers led by molecular biologist Marek Figlerowicz of Poznań University of Technology extracted DNA from 33 individuals, 30 men and three women, belonging to the Piast dynasty. Most of the deceased, who lived between...

The former first minister rebuked the actor for remarks about her impact on Scottish arts, calling them ‘baseless rubbish’Nicola Sturgeon has branded the Hollywood star Rupert Everett “deeply misogynistic” after he called her a “witch” and claimed she ruined the arts in Scotland. Everett, 66, known for My Best Friend’s Wedding and the voice of Prince Charming in Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, said the world of Scottish arts has become more parochial since the SNP came to power. The actor moved to Glasgow from England aged 18 to work at the Citizens Theatre in the Gorbals in...

Scott Gibb was playing in a secluded area at Terry Hershey Park in Houston on May 26, when he was confronted by Eunice Isgur, 76. 'She said I had no right to play here in this public park,' 'She said, "I'm gonna call my husband. He's a federal judge and he's gonna make you stop",' Gibb told the outlet, referring to Isgur's husband US District Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur of the Southern District of Texas. But Isgur reportedly became further angered that she was being recorded, which is when she allegedly hit the victim's arm while swiping at her phone....

In an effort to assure that no Muslim doctors ever again try to bomb Glasgow airport, bureaucrats at Glasgow's public hospitals have decreed that henceforth no staff may eat lunch at their desks or in their offices during the holy month of Ramadan, so that fasting Muslims shall not be offended by the sight or smell of their food. This kind of absurdity is what happens when the highly contestable doctrine of multiculturalism becomes a career opportunity for the semi-educated and otherwise unemployable products of a grossly swolen university system. Meanwhile, the highest court in Italy was confirming an appeals...