Scotland is one of the oldest nations in Europe. Its territory has remained fundamentallyunchanged since the fifteenth century, and its southern border with England has barely altered– with the exception of Berwick and a few square kilometres of 'debatable' land – since1237. And yet Scotland – a country with a global brand – is not a state at all. The ShortestHistory of Scotland argues that its very ambiguity is what has made the nation a central partof the global story.
Starting at the very beginning with a Scotland before Scotland – a tribal societyconnected closely by sea to Ireland, before becoming a place defined by being the part of anisland beyond the Roman wall – Pittock ranges with dazzling expertise through the definingepisodes of Scottish history up to the present.