Pictish symbol stone found in River Don in Aberdeen Published duration 23 August 2018

image copyright HES

A carved Pictish symbol stone has been discovered on the banks of the River Don in Aberdeen.

The find was made by fishermen in Dyce when low water levels - after the recent warm and dry weather - partially exposed the stone on the river bank.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said analysis confirmed it was a Pictish symbol stone.

It has been removed, and will be permanently housed at a yet to be decided venue.

image copyright HES

Kirsty Owen, deputy head of archaeology at HES, said: "We're very excited by this find, made all the more remarkable by the brief window of opportunity we had to recover the stone before the water levels rose again."

Bruce Mann, the local authority archaeologist for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, said: "The exceptional summer has led to river levels being at their lowest for decades, so there was always a chance that something new would be found.

"However, I certainly didn't expect a find as stunning as this.

"Pictish symbol-stones are incredibly rare, and this one, with its apparent connection to the river, adds further to the discussions around their meaning and what they were used for."