# The symbols are a writing system, used mainly to record personal names.

> Disputed: The symbols are a writing system, used mainly to record personal names.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/answers/ANS0CQHAH1E1C2V/the-symbols-are-a-writing-system-used-mainly-to-record  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
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[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Pictish symbol stones](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols)[Are the Pictish symbols a writing system?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/questions/QST0CQHAG263DNY/are-the-pictish-symbols-a-writing-system)Answer

Answer · Pictish symbol stones

# The symbols are a writing system, used mainly to record personal names.

The symbols are a writing system, used mainly to record personal names.

**Disputed** Answers **1** questionPublished0

## Where it stands

**Disputed** Two pieces of evidence for, one against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- Symbol pairs pattern like two-part names, with some symbols restricted to first or second place.
- A stone with a symbol pair and a Latin or ogham name, if found, names one person consistently with the pair.

## What would rule it out

- Symbol combinations show no positional constraints beyond chance, or a bilingual shows the symbols do not encode the name.

## Evidence 2 for · 1 against

[The 2010 entropy test classed the symbols with writing and not with random or heraldic systems.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/evidence/EVD0CQHAH986YQ0/the-2010-entropy-test-classed-the-symbols-with-writing-and)

Suggestive

FOR

[The 2018 dating places the system alongside ogham and runes and its authors read it as a naming system.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/evidence/EVD0CQHAHH24Q6F/the-2018-dating-places-the-system-alongside-ogham-and-runes)

Suggestive

FOR

[Two measures that do separate linguistic from non-linguistic corpora classify the Pictish symbols as…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/evidence/EVD0CQHAHRW4W69/two-measures-that-do-separate-linguistic-from-non-linguistic)

Supported

AGAINST

## The questions it answers

[Are the Pictish symbols a writing system?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/questions/QST0CQHAG263DNY/are-the-pictish-symbols-a-writing-system)

Most likelyThe symbols are emblems of rank, kin group, office or territory that do not encode words

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). The symbols are a writing system, used mainly to record personal names. [Answer ANS0CQHAH1E1C2V]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CQHAH1E1C2V
```

Key

**ANS** 0CQHAH1E1C2V

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Published

Version

1

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