In the period between the collapse of Roman authority and the establishment of the kingdom of Alba - the precursor to modern Scotland - much of the Highlands was dominated by a people know as the Picts. They lived at the edge of the known world, surrounded by enemies - the Britons, Angles and Irish. To protect their lands and authority they developed hilltop fortifications, often based on pre-Roman structures that had been used for centuries. Much of what is known about these 'painted' warriors, comes from the remains of these fortifications that they left scattered around Scotland. Although the Picts are famous as sea raiders, they were subject to attack from the Romano-British to the south as they reoccupied abandoned Roman fortifications and hired Saxon mercenaries to strike against the Picts. Meanwhile, from the west a new group, the Scoti, attacked from Ireland. This book covers the fortification of the ancient Picts in all their conflicts and discusses the importance of these sites as religious centres and seats of power, while using the latest archeological evidence to help unravel the mystery of this ancient race.