Ancient barbarian society was built on agriculture, so naturally many of its laws dealt with this important aspect of life. Clearly identifying the boundaries between farmland was paramount, so boundary pillar stones were erected to demarcate the edges of people's property. The idea was that their presence would cut down the amount of land disputes that occurred, as moving the pillars to a more favourable position was very much a Herculean task. In Ireland, Cormac mac Cuileannanin’s ‘Sanas Chormaic’ called them ‘gallan,’ as they were first erected by the Gauls when they arrived there. This type of stone has also been found in England and Scotland, often with names engraved on them in ‘Ogham' script.
