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Although this wooden calendar was carved in the seventeenth century, the
runic letters that make up the text are an ancient script. Runes are a Germanic
alphabet that emerged in the third century and prevailed unaltered until
the thirteenth century in Northern Europe and Iceland. Long past that period,
the runic alphabet was used on monuments and tombstones. There is not information
as to the origin of this particular piece, but it is similar to the type
of Runstaf produced in Dalarne, Sweden. Runic letters are generally
angular and are particularly suited for inscription on wood, where the natural
grain of the medium makes curved lines difficult.
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