大象传媒

Tha mapa mu mo choinneimh an-dr脿sta a tha a鈥� sealltainn nan l脿rach airce貌lach a chaidh a lorg anns a鈥� Mhonadh Ruadh. Tha d脿 she貌rsa de chomharra air 鈥� cearcaill bheaga dhubha a tha a鈥� riochdachadh l脿raich co-cheangailte ris na Meadhan Aoisean, no ri linntean nas fhaisg air an l脿 an-diugh; agus cearcaill bheaga gheala a tha a鈥� comharrachadh l脿raich a bhuineas don linn mus robh eachdraidh air a sgr矛obhadh.

鈥橲 e rud a tha inntinneach mu dheidhinn a鈥� mhapa gu bheil p矛os dheth anns a鈥� mheadhan anns a bheil gl猫 bheag de chearcaill. Sin na beanntan a tha aig meadhan P脿irc N脿iseanta a鈥� Mhonaidh Ruaidh. Bha iad a-riamh ro 脿rd is ro fhuar airson leigeil le sluagh fuireach orra. Ach chan eil sin a鈥� ciallachadh nach robh sluagh a鈥� fuireach anns na glinn eadar na beanntan. Is, gu dearbh, tha na h-uibhir de chearcaill dhubha anns na glinn sin, a鈥� sealltainn gu robh daoine a鈥� fuireach annta, co-dhi霉 aig 脿mannan sa bhliadhna, bho na Meadhan Aoisean a-mach. Na Cruithnich 鈥檚 na Gaidheil, tha fhios.

Chan eil ann, ge-t脿, ach aon chearcall beag geal anns na beanntan sin. Is chan eil am mapa sean. Chaidh fhoillseachadh o chionn tr矛 bliadhna. Tha sin a鈥� ciallachadh nach eil fianais ann gu robh daoine a鈥� fuireach no a鈥� siubhal thairis air a鈥� Mhonadh Ruadh anns na linntean ro-eachdraidheil.

Uill, bu ch貌ir dhomh r脿dh 鈥� cha robh fianais ann. Oir, o chionn ghoirid, chaidh p矛osan cloiche a lorg gu h-脿rd ann an Gleann D猫, a tha a鈥� dearbhadh gu robh sluagh anns an sg矛re sin timcheall air seachd m矛le bliadhna air ais. Agus innsidh mi dhuibh ann am mionaid mun d貌igh annasaich anns an t脿inig iad gu aire airce貌laichean.

鈥橲 e a bh鈥� annta ach ceithir fichead p矛os de chloich 鈥� clach-spor agus clach-猫iteig 鈥� is feadhainn dhiubh air an deach cumadh 霉r a dh猫anamh a dh鈥檃ona-ghnothach le mac an duine. Chan eil clach-spor a鈥� nochdadh gu n脿darrach anns a鈥� Mhonadh Ruadh, agus thathar a鈥� smaoineachadh gu robh na clachan sin air an toirt a-steach don sg矛re bho 脿ite eile ann an Alba, 鈥檚 d貌cha bho 脿ite air choreigin faisg air cladach an ear na d霉thcha.

Ach 鈥檚 e an rud a tha air leth inntinneach mu dheidhinn a鈥� ghnothaich, gu robh daoine a鈥� d猫anamh 鈥� a鈥� cruthachadh 鈥� acainn cloiche shuas an sin faisg air Uisge D猫. Ciamar a tha fios againn air sin? Uill, lorgadh p矛osan beaga de chloich-spor anns an dearbh 脿ite 鈥� p矛osan a chaidh a bhriseadh far cloiche m貌ire nuair a

bhathar a鈥� d猫anamh nan acainn. Bhathar a鈥� cleachdadh nan acainn ann an sin cuideachd, oir chaidh feadhainn bhriste a lorg.

Tha airce貌laichean dhen bheachd gu bheil seo a鈥� sealltainn gu robh daoine a鈥� gluasad thairis air a鈥� Mhonadh Ruadh, no 鈥檚 d貌cha tron L脿irig Ghr霉, a tha a鈥� ruith eadar na beanntan, o chionn seachd m矛le bliadhna.

Chan e Albannach a lorg iad, ge-t脿, ach airce貌laiche 脿 Sasainn air a bheil Aonghas Wainwright mar ainm. Chunnaic e na p矛osan cloiche nuair a chaidh e air chuairt ann an Gleann D猫, far an robhar a鈥� d猫anamh obair-leasachaidh air fr矛th-rathad. Leis gu robh e cleachdte ri bhith a鈥� lorg acainn de chloich-spor gu tric air talamh 矛osal ann an Sasainn, cha do smaoinich e cus mu dheidhinn a鈥� ghnothaich.

Bha e anns an sg矛re airson co-labhairt air airce貌las agus, nuair a thill e don cho-labhairt, sheall e cuid de na clachan do dh鈥檃irce貌laichean eile. Abair co-labhairt bho sin a-mach! Le fhradharc geur, th貌isich Aonghas Wainwright caibideil beag 霉r ann an eachdraidh fhada na h-Alba.

Faclan na seachdaine: l脿rach airce貌lach: archaeological site; na Meadhan Aoisean: Medieval times; P脿irc N脿iseanta a鈥� Mhonaidh Ruaidh: Cairngorms National Park; ro-eachdraidheil: prehistoric; Gleann D猫: Glen Dee; acainn cloiche: stone tools; lorgadh X: X were found; fr矛th-rathad: hill path; cleachdte ri: used to; sheall e: he showed; caibideil: chapter .

Abairtean na seachdaine: tha mapa mu mo choinneimh an-dr脿sta: there is a map in front of me just now; a bhuineas don linn: which belongs to the time (era); mus robh eachdraidh air a sgr矛obhadh: before history was written; anns a bheil gl猫 bheag de chearcaill: in which there are very few circles; bha iad a-riamh ro fhuar: they were always too cold; co-dhi霉 aig 脿mannan sa bhliadhna: at least at [some] times in [of] the year; bu ch貌ir dhomh r脿dh: I should say; timcheall air seachd m矛le bliadhna air ais: about 7,000 years ago; gu aire airce貌laichean: to the attention of archaeologists; clach-spor agus clach-猫iteig: flint and quartzite; air an deach cumadh 霉r a dh猫anamh: which were shaped; a chaidh a bhriseadh far cloiche m貌ire: which were broken off a large stone: nuair a chaidh e air chuairt: when he went for a walk; cha do smaoinich e cus mu dheidhinn: he didn鈥檛 think too much about; abair co-labhairt!: what a conference!; le fhradharc geur: with his keen vision.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: faisg air Uisge D猫: close to the River Dee. A point on place names this week. I wonder, if you were listening to the Litir, without reading the text, if you were puzzled here by the use of uisge? Normally you meet with it in such phrases as tha an t-uisge ann (it is raining) or am faod mi gloinne uisge fhaighinn? (may I have a glass of water?). B霉rn is another word meaning water (other than rain), although it is missing from some dialects. But in some mainland areas, particularly in the central Highlands, uisge also means 鈥渞iver鈥� or 鈥渟tream鈥� and is found in place names instead of abhainn. Examples are Uisge Sp猫 (River Spey), Uisge D猫 (River Dee), Uisge Eire (River Findhorn) and Uisge S矛dh (River Shee). It can even apply to tiny streams as in Uisge Dubh Poll a鈥� Choin (Dark Stream of the Dog鈥檚 Pool) which is met with by walkers on the L脿irig an Laoigh. It is likely that Invernessians once called the River Ness Uisge Nis but, with the loss of the local dialect and the city鈥檚 Gaelic-speakers coming largely from outside the area, it is now universally referred to as Abhainn Nis.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Na Cruithnich 鈥檚 na Gaidheil, tha fhios: the Picts and the Gaels, no doubt. Tha fhios here refers to a fact which would generally accepted by the listeners or readers, an equivalent to 鈥渙bviously鈥� (although not quite as strong) or 鈥渘o doubt鈥� or 鈥渙f course鈥�.