Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece has been a source of great fascination for centuries. Scotland’s connection to the ancient civilisation is visible in Scotland’s ancient name, “Caledonia”, which may have come from Caledon, an ancient city-state in Ancient Greece which experienced migrations to the place that we now call Scotland.

History supports Caledon as the name given to Scotland by the Romans, which could have something to do with the Greek settlers living in the country at the time. Scotland’s tenuous connection to Ancient Greece may still be up in the air but, if you want to know more about the ancient civilisation, there are plenty of places to do so:

National Museums Scotland is probably your first port of call for more information about the Ancient Greeks (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/29/the-myth-of-whiteness-in-classical-sculpture) and their possible links to Scotland. The museum holds around 3,000 permanent artefacts which relate to ancient Greece, and you’ll find a collection of vases which depict stories of gods and brave warriors. The shape of the vases is just as important as their images, with different vases being used for an array of events. There were special vases for drinking ceremonies as well as religious events.


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These gods continue to be a talking point in popular culture despite their age and continue to inspire television shows and gaming. BBC Television ran Atlantis, based on the gods and mythology.

The National Museum of Scotland actually includes vases, which depict stories of the gods as well as other important events, a lot of which revolved around drinking. There are also a collection of vases by an artist known as the Edinburgh Painter (https://blog.nms.ac.uk/2017/01/26/edinburgh-athens-and-troy-the-work-of-an-ancient-painter/). The Edinburgh Painter wasn’t actually active in Edinburgh as the name might suggest, but was likely to have been active in Athens around 500BC.

The discovery was made in Eritrea and is now housed in the National Museum in Edinburgh. Because the name of the artist is unknown, the Edinburgh Painter was given a ‘name vase’ which is a term used in archaeology to describe work identified to be made by the same artist when their name remains unknown. This is most commonly used with ancient Greek work and South Italian work, where painters did not sign their vases.


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The case for Scotland’s link to ancient Greece may displease some Scots, as it has recently been reported that Scottish tartan may have actually first been weaved by the ancient Greeks, and it has long been known that a haggis-type dish was eaten before Scotland was any more than a rugged isle.

Researchers working at the University of Edinburgh continue to explore Scotland’s links with Ancient Greece, as it appears that there are many more than was first expected. A walk around the classics department at the National Museum is a great place to start uncovering the links for yourself and learn more about Scotland’s connection to other ancient civilisations.

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  1. Ellen, August 23, 2019 8:17 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    So, the obvious question to me is, were these vases dug up in Scotland, as part of archeological dig? Or did the Natn’l museum buy them to add to their collection? Are there any (other) Greek artifacts found in Scotland, say, a temple, or slab of rock with Greek writing on it? Ancient Greek & Roman civilizations are really different from each other. So saying Romans were in Britain doesn’t mean Greeks were in Scotland.

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    • Susan Brodrick, October 20, 2019 9:32 am - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

      Bagpipes …

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      • Marco, February 20, 2024 2:45 am - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

        And Doric

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    • John Karras, September 30, 2020 11:39 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

      Why wouldn’t Romans use vases with Roman depictions then?Say,instead of using Greek!Did they love the Greeks so much?I don’t think so.Do you really wanna know which other country in Europe uses BAGPIPES?NO?Macedonians and Thracians from GREECE of course..And don’t confuse old Greeks with nowadays Greeks..If you happen to have blood of old Greeks, be happy about it,it’s a blessing..Trust me,they were really different than today’s Greeks..They were braver,wiser,prouder and stronger..Edinbourgh has a special connection to the Greek city of Mani from the Peloponnese (the city that NEVER FELL IN TURKISH HANDS) and was probably co-founded by a group of settlers from Mani around 800-1000 A.D (In the Town Hall of Edinbourgh, there is a letter-or script- that verifies my saying,just dig a little bit).Both countries wear skirts and the name Scotland is 10000% Greek,here is the Etymology>Scot-Scotos>Σκότος>Darkness +Land>Las>Λας>Γη,Μέρος>Place i.e Place of Darkness..Even the first name of Scotland Caledonia is 10000% Greek.Shall we? Let’s do this Cale>Kalos>καλός>good and Edonia>Idoni>ηδονή>Pleasure i.e The Land of Good and Pleasure.And Please stop this nonsense about Romans,they weren’t even good sailors,they marched mostly on land,they couldn’t even navigate a ship..Even to this day,Greece has the biggest fleet of ships worldwide,Hear,Hear,more than 3000 flagships..The Romans may have Conquered us,but that was it,they were inferior,just like the Turks were,savages and uncivilized,bloodlusty(No pun intended to today’s people)..One last thing, the prefix Mac also comes from Greece and means tall..We say Macri-yiannis(Big John), you say Mcmanaman(Big Manaman,altough you ”kill”the -a-)..Wanna know what Mac-edonia means?(written with C,but spelled with a K)It means ”The land of big pleasure”..See any lights yet?MACEDONIA-KALEDONIA(WAKE UP) THESE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE..DRIN DRIN!!!thank you!

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      • alexandros, November 27, 2020 3:15 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

        man shut up wtf are you on about theres body of mycaneans in greece and they have compared them to todays greek dna and its 95% similar stop hating bitch

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      • Richard Hunter, January 23, 2022 9:55 am - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

        Hi, for eleven years Aeneas and some of the survivors of the Trojan war, sailed around the mediterranean for eleven years seeking a non hostile place to settle. Eventually landing in the bay of Naples. After befriending Latinus accepting refuge, what began was what we all know was one of the greatest Empires of the western world. Romulus and Remus were his descendents.
        This in reply to the comment on not being sailors.
        The Romans learnt from every civilizations, the Greeks, the Carthaginians, the Phoenicians, adapted and conquered. The Romans circumnavigated Britain before invading, there has been Roman finds on the inner outer Hebrides, Jura, Skye and the Orkneys.
        It is not Hubris to discount a Empire that lasted for a thousand years or more.
        Regards
        Richard.

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      • Mark Momogos, October 28, 2022 8:43 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

        Sorry I only read your post now as I’m about to leave for Scotland to immigrate from South Africa . I’m of Greek ancestry and I can quite see your point here. Remember most of the new western world is intertwined with the Greece of old.

        So I say well put sir

        Mark Momogos

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      • Tom Salimes, February 20, 2024 7:39 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

        Bang On !!!

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      • Tom Salimes, February 20, 2024 8:25 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

        ….Bang On ……Except for the part about the Greek blood (DNA) ! Also, about 1/3 of Western civilisation stems from Greek & Roman genealogy.

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  2. Declan O'neil, September 18, 2019 9:49 am - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    Come To My House I Live In Bonnyrigg

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  3. Nikolas, October 24, 2019 11:19 am - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    Ellen check this out

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/bronzeageman_01.shtml
    Minoans and Mycenaeans were the first Greeks
    Some of the most important mines of this age, are in Britain

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tartan-its-all-greek-to-me-vwtxvx78l

    Search for more…

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  4. George, January 12, 2020 3:19 am - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    Perhaps then you should take under consideration the name of this beautiful country. Scotland: Scot-Land. Scot= Skotia which is a greek word and in Greek(ancient and modern) means= the absence of light. In other words the Land where there is absence of light. Further more the most common prefix Mac in Scottish and Irish names is another Greek word: Macos , ancient one which means length. So when you say McMan it actually means tall man. Greeks in Macedonia state are called the same , they came out of Argos sent by the king at the time Karanos and founded Macedonia which means , land of the tall men. The most exiting element of all is that , in Macedonia (Greece) the most common and popular instrument is the “Bagpipe” and in both countries the National army symbolic dress code is the skirt. I was always wondering why In Edinburg , you will find the statue of Alexander & Bucephalus, located in front of Edinburgh’s City Chambers.

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  5. John Makris, December 24, 2020 11:26 am - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    It’s funny cause my last name is Makris…Makris …they called me Makroyanni 🙂
    It acually means “long” tall can be used kinda but it is long .
    Another thing lol there 150 scientists around the world in university’s trying to figure out how and why,Greeks have the same exact D.n.a. as the ancients… And lots more proving studies… ANNNYWAY other then that I think your on all the wrest 🙂

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  6. Nick Nikopoulos, December 27, 2020 3:16 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    It simply undermines the connection of European people to each other

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  7. Duane Chapman, May 21, 2021 12:04 am - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    The confusion with History, particularly so called Western History comes with the Egyptian subterfuge of Greece. In this age of Aquarius, copious amounts of truth will only further the disconnect that occured between Greece and Egypt. One of those truths would be the Arghives from the land of Argob or West Africa. In this land you are gonna find three major areas. The first one is Mahli, or Mali. The second one is Guni, or Ghana. The last one is named after Manassas son Jer, or Niger, hence Nigeria. The inference clearly is that the original Greeks were African. Once one puts into perspective the true location and geography of so called Europe, one can easily understand its location, Europe in fact geographically being located in North Africa. The pottery represented in this thesis is termed historically “Blackware”, specifically denoting the true expression and characteristics of the figures portrayed on the Pottery. With the Ick or Iconoclast, denoting the breaking of the black stones, and the black icons, fantastic amounts of Blackware was obscured deliberately by the invading hoard who conquered the true occupants, the west africans, and supplanted, or better yet destroyed the blackware, and assumed the position and culture of what now is believed to be Greek when in fact its not.

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  8. Dr. Yes, June 18, 2021 9:58 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    (Thick 60s Sean Connery accent)… ^^^you must be joking!

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  9. Profile pic

    Konstantinos, February 20, 2022 3:49 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    I was reading your article above . I would like to bring to your attention an article in a Greek historical site where it points out a larger number of sea towns and places in Scotland which according to various Greek historians have a Greek origin.

    http://www.arxeion-politismou.gr/2022/02/arxaia-ellinika-toponymia-stin-Skotia.html?spref=fb&m=1

    Sorry but I could not find a translation in English.

    Yours,
    Konstantinos Giannopoulos
    University Professor

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  10. Logan, May 11, 2023 8:40 pm - Exploring Scotland’s Link With Ancient Greece

    I wonder how many Greeks are on Scotland because I am Greek I live on Scotland for almost 3 years and I never seen any I think we should make 1 online place 2 meet and talk if Is any Greeks on Scotland

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