<i>Picti</i>: from Roman name to internal identity

Recent scholarship has become increasingly sceptical about the importance of Pictish identity in first millennium A.D. It been suggested that Picti was an external classical general label for people inhabiting northern Britain only adopted internally late seventh century. This article reviews references to antique and subsequent Insular sources from third century 700. proposes term by end Roman period maintained afterwards through usage Latin, due imperial influence conversion Christianity. While not ethnic upheld region, concept used kings Fortriu their wider realm because it already known significant.