Ogham (Old Irish Ogam) was an alphabet used primarily to represent Gaelic languages. When these are in all likelihood that it equally foremost utilized to write about wooden materials, a utilise of "classical" Ogham around stone seems to keep close at hand flowered in the 5th–6th century AD.

Monumental Ogham inscriptions are found inside Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, and a Isle of Man, where it were principally listed when territorial markers & memorials. A other ancient examples come standing stones, in which a script was carved into a edge (droim or even faobhar) of a stone, which formed the stemline against which single characters come cut.

Ogham text is page through beginning from either a bottom left-h& side of a stone, continuing upward, through the top and down the perfect-hand side in the out break of yearn inscriptions. Inscriptions written in stemlines turn over a face of the stone, instead of along its edge, come called "scholastic", & come of the late date (post 7th century). Notes were as well normally written around Ogham within manuscripts down to the sixteenth century.

A few population use theorized that Ogham, because of its structure, may too become utilized as a secret gestural cypher. That is, a fingers of 1 hand, using the nose or even even shin or any more "straight" edge as a stemline, can be utilized to produce single Ogham letters that can be page through by an Ogham practician. There doesn't pop up to exist as any grounds to believe to trend lines this theory.

A Ogham alphabet consists of twenty-5 distinct characters (feda). A number one twenty come considered to become primary, when a endure 5 (forfeda) come more. A little joe primary series come known as aicmí (plural form of aicme "family"). Apiece aicme was known as fallowing its 1st character (Aicme Beithe, Aicme hÚatha, Aicme Muine, Aicme Ailme, "the B Group", "the H Group", "the M Group", "the A Group"). A select few of the list & a lot of the values of the forfeda come open to wonder.

Ogham is every now and again known as a "Celtic Tree Alphabet."

Ogham stones were utilized when grave stones.