A "remarkable" early medieval "Govan Warrior" stone has been found in the churchyard of Glasgow's Govan Old Parish Church during an archaeological project.
The "Govan Warrior" stone (Image: Govan Heritage Trust)
The dig, directed by Professor Stephen Driscoll of the University of Glasgow and Clyde Archaeology, took place on Saturday at the church during a community fun day.
The ancient site is renowned for the quality of its Viking-age sculpture, but the early medieval carved stone is "quite unlike" any others.
The image on the stone shows a guy standing sideways while toting a round shield and a shaft. The figure can be regarded as a warrior and is likely wielding a sword or spear.
While the warrior's face has suffered significant damage since it was originally carved more than a thousand years ago, amazing features reveal a flowing ponytail and a razor-sharp beard.
Govan Old, the oldest known Christian site in Glasgow, was constructed in 1888 on top of a sacred place that dates back to the sixth century.
Former church pastor Reverend Tom Davidson Kelly referred to it as “possibly the most significant church in Glasgow, including the Cathedral” in 2007.
The Govan Stones museum, which has one of Europe's best collections of early medieval and Viking sculpture, is also located in Govan Old.
Additionally, he asserted that the structure served as a place of worship before Scotland became a country.
Over 30 sculptures from the ancient kingdom of Old Welsh-speaking Britons known as Strathclyde, which ruled the Clyde valley from the fifth to the eleventh centuries AD, are included in the collection.
It contains five hogback monuments that date from the ninth and tenth centuries and are assumed to have served as tomb markers at first.
Even among the outstanding existing collection, which also includes the extraordinary Govan Sarcophagus, the Govan Cross, and five hogback gravestones, a Scandinavian-style funeral monument from the ninth or tenth century, the new discovery, currently dubbed the "Govan Warrior," is exceptional for its quality.
The Herald: Professor Stephen T. Driscoll next to a 'hogback' stone
The Govan Warrior stands out from the rest of the collection because to its distinctive aesthetic features, which have been compared to Pictish carvings and art from the Isle of Man. Unlike the other stones in the Govan collection, whose hefty carving style is so recognizable that it has been called the "Govan School" in its own right.
The Govan Warrior's light incising may draw comparisons to other well-known Pictish stones, such as the Rhynie Man from Aberdeenshire.
Professor Stephen Driscoll, who is also a Trustee of the Govan Heritage Trust, the guardians of Govan Old church since 2016, directed the University of Glasgow's excavations at Govan Old.
The Govan Warrior stone was found during a community outing that Glasgow Building Preservation Trust organized as part of the Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival.
Over the course of the weekend, more than 500 people came to the location, and scores of Govan community volunteers as well as students from the University of Glasgow and Clyde Archaeology took part in the excavations for the first time.
Professor Stephen Driscoll commented on the discovery by saying, “It’s a style that makes us think both about the Pictish world and also about the Isle of Man and it’s interesting that we are halfway between these two places. Govan is the ideal place for these two artistic traditions or styles to come together.
“This is probably the most important find that I’ve made in my thirty years of working at Govan Old. The new stone is very exciting because it takes the collection to a different cultural place as it does not look like the heavier and chunkier ‘Govan School’ style. The new stone is much more delicate in its execution using finer shallow incisions.”
