Runic writing was invented in Scandinavia in the 2nd century AD, at a time when contacts between the Roman Empire and the Barbaric North were most intense (Stoklund 2003a; Imer 2015a). On Bornholm, however, the earliest evidence of runic writing is dated to the latter half of the 5th century or the first half of the 6th century. This article presents an overview of the inscriptions on Bornholm, from the earliest evidence in the Iron Age to the latest inscriptions in the Middle Ages. The aim is to compare the traditions on Bornholm with the traditions on the other Baltic islands, Öland and Gotland.