Credited to Ireland. The origin of ogham is debated. Some scholars link it to the runic and ultimately Etruscan alphabets, and others see it as a transformation of the Latin alphabet; Britannica notes that signs for h and z speak against a purely Irish origin. About 300 of more than 375 known inscriptions are in Ireland, and the script is treated as created for early Irish.
How it began
Ogham is an alphabetic script dating from the 4th century AD, used to write the Irish language, and later Pictish, on stone monuments. Archaeological evidence places the earliest inscriptions at about the 4th century. Of more than 375 ogham inscriptions known, about 300 are in Ireland. One scholarly proposal places its creation in the early Irish Christian community known from around AD 400. Irish tradition says it was also written on wood, but no material evidence of this survives.
How it works
In its simplest form ogham has four sets of strokes or notches. Each set holds five letters made of one to five strokes, giving 20 letters. The strokes were cut along the edge of a stone, often running vertically. A fifth set of five symbols, called forfeda or extra letters in Irish tradition, appears to be a later addition.
How it spread
Ogham inscriptions are also found in Wales, where most are accompanied by Latin transliterations or equivalents. A few inscriptions in Scotland record fragments of what is probably the Pictish language. The script's period of use is given as about the 4th to the 10th centuries.
What lasted
The inscriptions are very short, usually a name and the name of the father in the genitive case. They matter to linguists because they show an earlier state of the Irish language, termed Primitive Irish, than any other source attests. Britannica notes that the inscriptions probably date from the 4th century.
