The Ogham
Alphabet is believed to have been devised by the
Irish somewhere between the first and third centuries AD. Some of the surviving samples place its primary use to the
Christian period, however some
Celtic scholars believe it is much older.
Some of the existing samples seem to suggest that it was primarily used on grave and boundary markers. Additional evidence also suggests that it might have been used by Druids for recording tales, history, poetry, and geneology.
The name Ogham was derived from the Celtic god of literature and eloquence, Ogma, who is credited with its invention. The letters of the Ogham are constructed using a combination of lines placed adjacent to or crossing a midline. An indiviual letter may contain one to five vertical or angled strokes. Vowels were described as a combination of dots. The midline was most often the edge of the object on which the inscription was carved. Ogham writing is read top to bottom, left to right.
In keeping with Druid concepts, each of the Ogham's twenty letters bears the name of a tree. For example:
A- Ailim (Elm)
B -Bithe (Birch)
C -Coll ( (Hazel)
This is not all that surprising until one realizes that not all of the twenty plants used by the Ogham were found in the Celtic world of the British Isles. This lends some credence to the theory that Ogham predates the first century AD and the letters depicted were best represented by the plant life found near the Rhine River, home of the Iron Age, that is regarded as being ancestral to the Celts.
There are over 350 verified examples of Ogham writing surviving today.They exist in the form of standing stones concentrated in Ireland but also scattered across Scotland, the Isle of Man, South Wales, and Devonshire. Similar markings, dating to 500 BC have been found in standing stones in Spain and Portugal. Similar markings were also found in France on the Coligny Tablet. Last but not least, similar markings have also been found in West Virginia, leading to some speculation that the Celts may have come to the New World as early as 100 BC.