title: Smertae
text: # Smertae
  
  The Smertae were a people of ancient Britain, known only from a single mention of them by the geographer Ptolemy c. 150. From his general description and the approximate locations of their neighbors, their territory was in the modern area of central Sutherland. Ptolemy does not provide them with a town or principal place.
  
  ## History
  
  Smertae is believed to be the ancient tribe of picts/celtics ancestral home of the royal Smertae kingdom a warrior tribe of giant Celts believed to be made up of sheep herders and metal smiths. Viking and tribal/clan feudalism resulted in the kingdom to be later taken over and the name of the Smertae diminished to a single surname later changed to Gor, Smeut, Smout, Smeart, Smoot and with Anglo Saxon/English and Danish subdigation and occupation over roughly a fifteen centuries, the name of Smertae vanished in translation. But through DNA tracing and research it is believed the family line Smoot is connected. William E. Smoot 1642Ad arrived in the new world colonies in Virginia. His family's DNA was later 20th century traced back to Roman occupation of Britaina and remained in what later became Scotland, Daneland, England the Gor"smoot family is even notable in the Scottish history as Gor. Was the last man chosen to represent Chattan Clan blood feud that resulted in the name Gor being accepted as official members of Chattan clan confederation and was allowed to change name to an English translation of the name Smith. But the once ancient royal Pict kingdom Smertae modern English translation [smoot] lives on.
  
  Their name is commemorated by Càrn Smeart, an ancient burial mound on the ridge between the rivers Carron and Oykel.
  
  The etymology of the name Smertae is not known for certain. However, entry 1794 of the Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch maintains that the element *smert- is present in Welsh verb darmerth (*do-ɸare-smertā-) meaning ‘purvey’ (i.e. 'provide') and noun armerth (*ɸare-smertā-s) ‘provision’ as well as in Old Irish airmert (*ɸare-smerto-m) ‘preparation’, glossing *smert- as 'provide for, purvey'.
  
  