"Epigraphy (from Ancient Greek ἐπιγραφή (epigraphḗ) 'inscription') is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the writing and the writers."
Overview of epigraphy in different regions, exploring epigraphic traditions, practices and breakthroughs accrued in each region.
Introduction to Epigraphy: An overview of epigraphy and its importance in understanding ancient cultures.
Inscriptions: A detailed explanation of inscriptions, including their form, content, and purpose, and the information they can provide about the cultures and societies that produced them.
Material Culture: A discussion of the physical materials used in creating inscriptions, such as stone, metal, clay, paper, and wood.
Writing Systems: An overview of different writing systems, including hieroglyphics, cuneiform, and script systems, and how they are related to inscriptions.
Languages: A discussion of the various languages used in inscriptions, including ancient Greek, Hebrew, Phoenician, and Latin.
Paleography: The study of ancient handwriting and how it has evolved over time.
Dialectology: A study of the variation in language use within a specific region or community.
Iconography: The use of symbols and images in inscriptions, and how they relate to the culture and society that produced them.
Epigraphic Genres: A discussion of the types of inscriptions found in different contexts, such as funerary inscriptions, legal inscriptions, and commemorative inscriptions.
Epigraphic Methods: The techniques and tools used by epigraphers to decipher and interpret inscriptions.
Conservation and Preservation: The preservation and conservation of inscriptions, including the challenges that arise when working with ancient materials.
Digital Epigraphy: The use of digital technologies in the study of inscriptions, including digital imaging, database management, and digital annotation.
Epigraphy and Archaeology: The relationship between epigraphy and archaeology, including how inscriptions can enhance our understanding of archaeological sites and artifacts.
Epigraphy and History: The use of inscriptions as historical sources, including their contributions to our understanding of ancient politics, religion, and society.
Epigraphy and Linguistics: The contribution of inscriptions to the study of linguistics, including the evolution of written languages and the reconstruction of ancient languages.
Epigraphy and Anthropology: The study of epigraphy as a means of understanding the social and cultural practices of ancient societies.
Epigraphy and Art History: The use of inscriptions in the study of art and visual culture, including the role of inscriptions as part of a broader visual context.
Epigraphy and Literature: The use of inscriptions in literary studies, including the function of inscriptions as literary devices in ancient poetry and prose.
Epigraphy and Religion: The study of inscriptions as evidence of ancient religious beliefs and practices.
Territorial epigraphy: This type of epigraphy is associated with the inscriptions related to territorial boundaries, land records, and other geographical and survey records.
Administrative epigraphy: It is related to records of ancient administration and government.
Sepulchral epigraphy: It refers to inscriptions found on tombs, gravestones, and monuments, which provide information about the deceased and their families.
Numismatic epigraphy: This type of epigraphy is associated with coins and medal inscriptions, which provide information about rulers, issuers, and dates of production.
Religious epigraphy: It includes inscriptions found on religious structures, religious texts and manuscripts, and religious symbols.
Monumental epigraphy: It refers to the study of the inscriptions found on large public structures, which provide insights into political, social, and cultural dimensions of ancient civilizations.
Funerary epigraphy: It includes inscriptions on funeral monuments, tombs, and sepulchral structures, which serve as a means of commemoration and remembrance.
Honorific epigraphy: This type of epigraphy is associated with inscriptions honoring public figures, heroes, and benefactors.
Linguistic epigraphy: It deals with the study of inscriptions or writings in various language scripts like Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, and other languages.
Historical epigraphy: It is related to the study of inscriptions that provide historical information about the past civilizations, their culture, and social order.
Iconographic epigraphy: It is a combined study of inscriptions and iconography, which provides insights into the symbolic and cultural meanings of ancient art and architecture.
"Specifically excluded from epigraphy are the historical significance of an epigraph as a document and the artistic value of a literary composition."
"A person using the methods of epigraphy is called an epigrapher or epigraphist."
"For example, the Behistun inscription is an official document of the Achaemenid Empire engraved on native rock at a location in Iran. Epigraphists are responsible for reconstructing, translating, and dating the trilingual inscription and finding any relevant circumstances."
"Epigraphy is a primary tool of archaeology when dealing with literate cultures."
"Epigraphy also helps identify a forgery: epigraphic evidence formed part of the discussion concerning the James Ossuary."
"Epigraphy overlaps other competences such as numismatics or palaeography."
"The media and the forms of the graphemes are diverse: engravings in stone or metal, scratches on rock, impressions in wax, embossing on cast metal, cameo or intaglio on precious stones, painting on ceramic or in fresco."
"Not all inscribed texts are public, however: in Mycenaean Greece, the deciphered texts of 'Linear B' were revealed to be largely used for economic and administrative record keeping."
"The study of ideographic inscriptions may also be called ideography."
"The German equivalent Sinnbildforschung was a scientific discipline in the Third Reich, but was later dismissed as being highly ideological."
"Epigraphic research overlaps with the study of petroglyphs, which deals with specimens of pictographic, ideographic, and logographic writing."
"The study of ancient handwriting, usually in ink, is a separate field, palaeography."
"Epigraphy also differs from iconography as it confines itself to meaningful symbols containing messages, rather than dealing with images."
"...classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts..."
"...and drawing conclusions about the writing and the writers."
"The US Library of Congress classifies epigraphy as one of the auxiliary sciences of history."
"Informal inscribed texts are 'graffiti' in its original sense."
"The character of the writing, the subject of epigraphy, is a matter quite separate from the nature of the text, which is studied in itself."
"When compared to books, most inscriptions are short."