It was probably written sometime between 1202 and 1214, in the reign of the William the Lion, by a French-speaking[dubious – discuss] resident of Scotland (north of the Forth), as an introduction to the compilation.
The title is taken from the opening words of the piece, which reads: "De Situ Albanie que in se figuram hominis habet quomodo fuit primitus is septem regionibus diuisa quibusque nominibus antiquitus sit uocata et a quibus inhabitata" The piece proceeds to carry out the purpose highlighted in the introduction.
The author's motive for writing the dSA and compiling the Scottish Poppleton remains unknown, although he probably can be seen in the tradition of Geoffrey of Monmouth.
Other matters of interest are the man-simile, the linguistic discussions, and the light the document sheds on the relationship between the Gaelic language (Scottica) and Scottish national identity.
David Howlett has recently put a case forward that the structure of the text is based on a biblical paradigm.