Ogham: Unique Celtic Alphabet Used By Druids And Abandoned During Christian Era

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Ogham is an ancient writing, of which the earliest examples date back to the 4th and 6th centuries A.D. The language of the inscriptions is Irish, but many were found to have equivalents in Roman and Latin; inscriptions in Scotland used the Ogham script alongside Old Norse or Pictish.

Carving of Ogham letters into a stone pillar - illustration by Stephen Reid (1873 - 1948), in: Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race by T. W. Rolleston (1857 - 1920), published 1911, p. 288.

About 360 ogham stones have been recorded in Ireland (in Munster, Kerry, Cork, and Waterford), and the total number is more than 400, including those found in Britain. The ogham stones found in Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man are all linked to the Irish settlements that existed during the decline of the Roman Empire.

Numerous ancient literary sources suggest that the script was used by Celtic druids about two thousand years ago and continued to be used even in the time of St. Patrick in the 5th century. It was also practiced by bards, intellectuals, and others who could read the Ogham.

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See also:

Celts: Facts And History About The Powerful And Intriguing People Of Central And Northern Europe

Who Were The Picts, The Mysterious People Of Northern Scotland?

King Lud – Mysterious Founder Of London And His Connection To The Tuatha De Danann

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