Corpus Refs: | none |
Site: | BLFOO |
Discovery: | recognised, 1968 Steer, K. |
History: | Forsyth/1996, 94: `The animal and geometric carvings have been known since at least the end of the seventeenth century, but the presence of ogham was not noticed until around 1968. Jackson [in 1973] says that he was told of the existence of the ogham `a couple of years ago' by Kenneth Steer of the RCAHMS, and that they visited the cave together in September 1971'. |
Geology: | Forsyth/1996, 93: `...sandstone'. |
Dimensions: | 0.0 x 0.0 x 0.0 (Unknown) |
Setting: | n/a |
Location: | earliest Forsyth/1996, 94: `...the left-hand wall of the cave'. Fisher/2001, 66: `carved immediately left of the main group of serpents'. |
Form: | cave |
Condition: | inc , some Forsyth/1996, 93--94, gives an account of the variety of carving and its condition on the cave walls of Blackwaterfoot, noting that the large amount of modern graffiti `may obscure older work'. |
Folklore: | none |
Crosses: | none |
Decorations: | no other decoration |
Forsyth, K.S. (1996): | --][E!]OMEQ[E!][-- Expansion: [-][E!][-]MEQI[-] Forsyth/1996 96--97 substantial discussion |
Fisher, I. (2001): | [--]EOMEQE[--] Expansion: [--]EO MEG E[--] Fisher/2001 66 reading only |
Orientation: | vertical up |
Position: | n/a ; other ; n/a ; undivided Forsyth/1996, 94: `...carved on the left-hand wall of the cave...about 9 m...from the entrance gate'. Fisher/2001, 66: `immediately left of the main group of serpents'. |
Incision: | inc |
Date: | 500 - 799 (Forsyth/1996) Forsyth/1996, 99: `They could be as early as the Pool ogham (sixth century) or later than Dunadd (late eighth century?)'. |
Language: | Goidelic (ogams) |
Ling. Notes: | Forsyth/1996, 96: `If the inscription is complete as it stands then it is difficult to interpret it in terms of a Celtic, or any other language. If, as seems likely, letters have been lost from both ends, it can be interpreted as Goidelic' with MEQ(I) for MAQI. Fisher/2001, 66: `containing the Irish Meq ('son')'. |
Palaeography: | Fisher/2001, 66: `a curving natural stem-line'. |
Legibility: | poor Forsyth/1996, 96: `...the condition of the stone does not rule out the possibility that letters have been lost from the beginning and the end of this inscription'. Fisher/2001, 66: `apparently incomplete at both ends'. |
Lines: | 1 |
Carving errors: | 0 |
Doubtful: | no |