Contents

List of plates and figures

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introductory note

1Setting the scene

2Communicating with the past: The sources

3The residence of power

4Agriculture, industry and trade: The currency of authority

5The strength of belief

6From ‘wandering thieves’ to lords of war

7Alba: The emergence of the Scottish nation

Monuments and museums to visit

Glossary

Further reading

Index