Early Runic monuments

Runic alphabets were deemed to have been introduced to Germanic Europe in the Iron Age, though its precise origin has never been informed exactly.

Famous runes

Runic monuments with these alphabetical inscriptions have been discovered all over the world, including England and Germanic mainland of Europe, though it is the Scandinavian peninsula which has seen the majority of these inscribed runic monument discoveries.

It is believed that many runic monuments were inscribed in Norway or Sweden over the bodies of the dead, before this custom grew throughout the rest of Europe. Two of the three runic alphabets of this time were in fact found in Scandinavia, though, and these three runic alphabets still exist on monuments today.

For example;

The first on a thin gold bractea found in 1774 at Vadstena, in Sweden.
The second on a bracelet, dug up at Charnoy, in Burgundy
The third on a knife, found in the Thames in 1857, and now in the British Museum.

There are two principal runic alphabets, the older consisting of 24 letters, and beginning with f; the later of 16 letters.

It is not until the 6th century that the runic stones begin. ' The most ancient are believed to be those of Einang, of Tune, of Strand, of Varnum, of Tanum and of Berga. Perhaps a little later are the stones at Vaanga, Skarkind, Skaaang, Torvik, Bo and others. The majority of graves containing such small rune-stones, bearing merely the name of the deceased or a magical sentence, have been found in Norway. But the antiquity of most of these is questioned, that of Vatn, which is the oldest, being now placed no earlier than the 8th century. The very important stone of Valdby, which is the oldest Norwegian monument employing the shorter alphabet, is attributed by Wimmer to heathen times, indeed, but to a, date no earlier than the second half of the 9th century.


http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/RON_SAC/RUNES_RUNIC_LANGUAGE_AND_INSCRI.html