Thanks, David. It's very informative. Someday I will get all this early origin stuff straight in my head.... so much I don't know. :-( Janet C. Sigurd Towrie has a useful article on his Orkneyjar website on the subject. < http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/picts/language.htm > Although it’s not settled beyond doubt, it’s generally thought that the Pictish language is Celtic. As Sigurd’s article points out the the Pictish writing system originated in Ireland. David