Editing Pigpen cipher (section)

==History==
The cipher is believed to be an ancient cipher<ref>Bauer, Friedrich L. "Encryption Steps: Simple Substitution."&nbsp;Decrypted Secrets: Methods and Maxims of Cryptology&nbsp;(2007): 43.</ref><ref>Newby, Peter. "Maggie Had A Little Pigpen."&nbsp;Word Ways&nbsp;24.2 (1991): 13.</ref> and is said to have originated with the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] [[rabbi]]s.<ref>Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna. The Theosophical Glossary. Theosophical Publishing Society, 1892, p. 230</ref><ref>Mathers, SL MacGregor.&nbsp;The Kabbalah Unveiled. Routledge, 2017, p. 10</ref> Thompson writes that, “there is evidence that suggests that the [[Knights Templar]] utilized a pig-pen cipher” during the [[Crusades|Christian Crusades]].<ref>Thompson, Dave. "Elliptic Curve Cryptography." (2016)</ref><ref>MacNulty, W. K. (2006).&nbsp;Freemasonry: symbols, secrets, significance. London: Thames & Hudson, p. 269</ref>

Parrangan & Parrangan write that it was used by an individual, who may have been a Mason, “in the 16th century to save his personal notes.”<ref>Parrangan, Dwijayanto G., and Theofilus Parrangan. "New Simple Algorithm for Detecting the Meaning of Pigpen Chiper Boy Scout (“Pramuka”)."&nbsp;International Journal of Signal Processing, Image Processing and Pattern Recognition&nbsp;6.5 (2013): 305–314.</ref>

In 1531 [[Cornelius Agrippa]] described an early form of the Rosicrucian cipher, which he attributes to an existing Jewish [[Kabbalah|Kabbalistic]] tradition.<ref>Agrippa, Henry Cornelius. "Three Books of Occult Philosophy, or of."&nbsp;JF (London, Gregory Moule, 1650)&nbsp;(1997): 14–15.</ref>  This system, called "The Kabbalah of the Nine Chambers" by later authors, used the [[Hebrew Alphabet|Hebrew alphabet]] rather than the [[Latin alphabet]], and was used for religious symbolism rather than for any apparent cryptological purpose.<ref>Agrippa, Cornelius. "Three Books of Occult Philosophy", http://www.esotericarchives.com/agrippa/agripp3c.htm#chap30</ref>

On the 7th July 1730, a French Pirate named [[Olivier Levasseur]] threw out a scrap of paper written in the pigpen cipher, allegedly containing the whereabouts of his treasure which was never found but is speculated to be located in Seychelles. The exact configuration of the cipher has also not been determined, an example of using different letters in different sections to further complicate the cipher from its standard configuration.

Variations of this cipher were used by both the [[Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis|Rosicrucian]] brotherhood<ref name=pratt>Pratt, pp. 142&ndash;143</ref> and the [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]], though the latter used the pigpen cipher so often that the system is frequently called the Freemason's cipher. Hysin claims it was invented by Freemasons.<ref>Hynson, Colin. "Codes and ciphers."&nbsp;5 to 7 Educator&nbsp;2006.14 (2006): v–vi.</ref> They began using it in the early 18th century to keep their records of history and rites private, and for correspondence between lodge leaders.<ref name=wrixon-27/><ref>Kahn, 1967, p.~772</ref><ref>Newton, 1998, p. 113</ref> Tombstones of Freemasons can also be found which use the system as part of the engravings.  One of the earliest stones in [[Trinity Church Cemetery]] in [[New York City]], which opened in 1697, contains a cipher of this type which deciphers to "Remember death" (cf. "[[memento mori]]").

[[George Washington]]'s army had documentation about the system, with a much more randomized form of the alphabet. During the [[American Civil War]], the system was used by [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] prisoners in [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] prisons.<ref name=pratt/>