The Pictish settlement, located on the Tap O'Noth hill near the village of Rhynie in the Scottish district of Aberdeenshire, was the largest in Scotland. Archaeologists suggest that it was inhabited by more than four thousand people.

Excavations of Tap O'Not Hill have been underway since 2011, writes thehistoryblog. A recent geolocation study using drones to clarify the boundaries of the archaeological site. As a result, scientists found that about 800 huts were located around the fortification on a hilltop. According to Professor Gordon Noble, who led the study, Tap O'Not becomes the largest area of \u200b\u200bearly medieval monuments in Britain, ahead of Burkhead, Cadbury and the ruins of Tintagel Castle.

Radiocarbon analysis of the finds show that they date back to the 5th – 6th centuries, and the settlement was founded, according to scientists, could have been earlier, in the 3rd century AD. In this era, the north of Scotland was inhabited by picts. One of the huts in the settlement is much larger than the others, which indicates that among the local inhabitants there was a social hierarchy. Artifacts found there also indicate a high social status. For example, fragments of a large Roman amphora of the 5th – 6th centuries made in the Mediterranean were discovered there..

In the valley at the foot of the hill, archaeologists discovered glass vessels from France, traces of wine imported from the Mediterranean, as well as local production of metal products.

Eight Pictish carved stones were also found there, including a stone with the so-called “Man from Rini” - a 1.8 meter plate with a carved image of a bearded man carrying an ax on his shoulder. Scientists believe that this may be the Celtic god Esus, often portrayed with an ax, or the Pictish king.