futhark

Arabian archers in the Roman army had a surprising impact on the evolution of writing in ancient Germany at the dawn of our Common Era (AD). The old Germanic alphabet, known as runes – bolstered with letters from the language of the Arabian Nabateans – has survived to the present day, appearing in fantasy tales like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and in an array of modern video games. Most people know the story of the incursion of Arab military forces into Europe that began in 711 AD. The Arabian Muslim troops, who had crossed North Africa and entered into Spain from Morocco, were eventually halted by indigenous Spaniards, and gradually driven back southward over the course