Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
Pictish society was typical of many Iron Age societies in northern Europe, having "wide connections and parallels" with neighbouring groups. Archaeology gives some impression of the society of the Picts. While very little in the way of Pictish writing has survived, Pictish history since the late 6th century is known from a variety of sources, including Bede's "Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum", saints' lives such as that of Columba by Adomnán, and various Irish annals.