In 1314, the Battle of Bannockburn gave Scotland its independence. On 6 April 1320, the Scottish ruler, Robert Bruce, and fifty signatories sent a declaration of independence to Pope John XXII. This is the Declaration of Arbroath, written in Latin. And it contains a surprising passage:
‘(…) and ex antiquorum gestis and libris Colligimus quod inter Ceteras naciones egregias nostra scilicet Scottorum NATO multis preconijs fuerit insignita, that from Maiori Schithia per Pool tirenum and Columpnas Herculis (…)’.
In plain English, the signatories speak of ancient achievements and writings that demonstrate that the nation of Scots originated in Scythia Major and came via the Tyrrhenian Sea (part of the Mediterranean) and the Columns of Hercules (Gibraltar).
But why would a northern European nation claim the legacy of an ancient population from the Central Asian steppes?