Stone with ancient writing system discovered in a garden

Image source, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

Chi Chi IzunduBBC Radio May 49, 2024

The discovery of a small stone carved with an ancient form of Celtic writing sparked enthusiasm among archaeologists after it was unearthed in a garden.

It was found by geography teacher Graham Senior in Coventry during lockdown in 2020 while weeding, but its true value was only recently understood. .

Perhaps dating from the 4th century, the stone's Ogham script features a series of lines inscribed on three of its faces, and experts are attempting to understand their full significance.

Teresa Gilmore, Finds Liaison Officer for Staffordshire and the West Midlands, said: "This is an incredible find, we We're very lucky."

She added: "Most of the Ogham inscriptions usually found in the more Celtic areas - in Scotland, in Ireland and Cornwall - are not generally found in the Midlands "

M. Senior told the BBC that he had a "good idea" of what the stone was when he found it, but was unable to find anyone to confirm his suspicions and "hit But he said that changed when Katherine Forsyth of the University of Glasgow "took the trouble to meet a researcher" a few months ago.

She partially translated the script to reveal a name: Mael Dumcail.