The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.

Epigraphy (Greek, επιγραφή — "written upon") is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs engraved into stone or other durable materials, or cast in metal, the science of classifying them as to cultural context and date, elucidating them and assessing what conclusions can be deduced from them. A person studying this is called an epigrapher or epigraphist. Download high resolution version (768x1024, 151 KB)The Rosetta Stone in British Museum, photo by User:Matijap File links The following pages link to this file: Rosetta Stone Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (768x1024, 151 KB)The Rosetta Stone in British Museum, photo by User:Matijap File links The following pages link to this file: Rosetta Stone Categories: GFDL images ... The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum. ... The British Museum in London, England is one of the worlds greatest museums of human history and culture. ...

Scope

Epigraphy is a primary tool of archaeology when dealing with literate cultures. The US Library of Congress classifies epigraphy as one of the "Auxiliary Sciences of History". Epigraphy also helps identify a forgery: epigraphic evidence formed part of the discussion concerning the James Ossuary. Since epigraphy is a science of the particular, references to epigraphic evidence appear in most Wikipedia entries discussing aspects of Ancient history. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek: αρχαίος, archaios, combining form in Latin archae-, ancient; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Library of Congress reading room The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. ... Forgery is the process of making or adapting objects or documents (see false document), with the intention to deceive. ... The James Ossuary is a sepulchral urn for containing bones, which was found in Israel in 2002 and was claimed to have been the ossuary of James, the brother of Jesus. ... “Ancient” redirects here. ...

The study of ancient handwriting, usually in ink, is a separate field, Paleography. Penmanship is the art of writing clearly and quickly. ... Palaeography, literally old writing, (from the Greek words paleos = old and grapho = write) is the study of script. ...

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. Texts inscribed in stone are usually for public view (or for the view of the god, as in the Persian Behistun inscription), and so they are essentially different from the written texts of each culture. Not all inscribed texts are public, however: in Mycenean culture the deciphered texts of "Linear B" were revealed to be largely used for economic and administrative record keeping. Informal inscribed texts are "graffiti" in its original sense. The Behistun Inscription, carved into a cliffside, gives the same text in three languages, telling the story of King Darius conquests, with the names of twenty-three provinces subject to him. ... Mycenaean Greece, the last phase of the Bronze Age in ancient Greece, is the historical setting of the epics of Homer and much other Greek mythology. ... This article is about the ancient syllabary. ... Graffiti (strictly, as singular, graffito, from the Italian — graffiti being the plural) are images or letters applied without permission to publicly viewable surfaces such as walls or bridges. ...

History

The science of epigraphy has been developing steadily since the 16th century. Principles of epigraphy vary culture by culture, and the infant science in European hands concentrated on Latin inscriptions at first. Individual contributions have been made by epigraphers such as Georg Fabricius (1516–1571); August Wilhelm Zumpt (1815–1877); Theodor Mommsen (1817–1903); Emil Hübner (1834–1901); Franz Cumont (1868–1947); Louis Robert (1904–1985). Georg Fabricius (1516–July 17, 1571), Protestant German poet, historian and archaeologist, was born at Chemnitz in upper Saxony on April 23 1516, and educated at Leipzig. ... August Wilhelm Zumpt (1815-1877) was a classical scholar, known chiefly in connection with Latin epigraphy. ... Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (November 30, 1817–November 1, 1903) was a German classical scholar, jurist and historian, generally regarded as the greatest classicist of the 19th century. ... Emil Hübner (July 7, 1834 - February 21, 1901) was a German classical scholar. ... Franz-Valéry-Marie Cumont (Aalst, Belgium, January 3, 1868 - Brussels, August 25, 1947) was a Belgian archaeologist and historian, a philologist and student of epigraphy, who brought these often isolated specialties to bear on the syncretic mystery religions of Late Antiquity, notably Mithraism. ... Louis Robert (Laurière, 15 February 1904 - Paris, 31 May 1985) was a professor of Greek history and Epigraphy at the Collège de France, and author of many volumes and articles on Greek and Roman epigraphy. ...

The Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, begun by Mommsen and other scholars, has been published in Berlin since 1863, with wartime interruptions. It is the largest and most extensive collection of Latin inscriptions. New fascicles are still produced as the recovery of inscriptions continues. The Corpus is arranged geographically: all inscriptions from Rome are contained in volume 6. This volume has the greatest number of inscriptions; volume 6, part 8, fascicle 3 was just recently published (2000). Specialists depend on such on-going series of volumes in which newly-discovered inscriptions are published, often in Latin, not unlike the biologists' Zoological Record— the raw material of history. The Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. ... The word fascicle derives from the Latin fascis (bundle). Fascicles are the sections of a book, usually a reference work, that because of its length, is issued in parts so that the information may be made available to the public as soon as possible rather than waiting years or decades...

Greek epigraphy has unfolded in the hands of a different team, with different corpora. There are two. The first is Corpus Inscriptionum Graecarum of which four volumes came out, again at Berlin, 1825-1877. This marked a first attempt at a comprehensive publication of Greek inscriptions copied from all over the Greek-speaking world. Only advanced students still consult it, for better editions of the texts have superseded it. The second, modern corpus is Inscriptiones Graecae arranged geographically under categories: decrees, catalogues, honorary titles, funeral inscriptions, various., all presented in Latin, to preserve the international neutrality of the field of classics. In linguistics, a corpus (plural corpora) or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts (now usually electronically stored and processed). ... Classics, particularly within the Western University tradition, when used as a singular noun, means the study of the language, literature, history, art, and other aspects of Greek and Roman culture during the time frame known as classical antiquity. ...

Other such series include the Corpus Inscriptionum Etruscarum (Etruscan inscriptions), Corpus Inscriptionum Crucesignatorum Terrae Sanctae (Crusaders' inscriptions), Corpus Inscriptionum Insularum Celticarum, (Celtic inscriptions), Corpus Inscriptionum Iranicarum (Iranian inscriptions) and so forth. The Corpus Inscriptionum Etruscarum (English: Body of Etruscan Inscriptions) is a collection of various texts and documentation written in the ancient Etruscan language that had been collected by Karl Pauli and his followers since 1885. ...

Notable inscriptions

• Rosetta Stone
• Behistun Inscription
• Decree of Themistocles
• Dipylon inscription
• Edicts of Ashoka
• Laguna Copperplate Inscription
• Inscription of Abercius
• Malia altar stone
• Phaistos Disc
• Pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions
• Orkhon inscriptions
• Duenos Inscription
• Bryggen inscriptions
• Bitola inscription
• INRI
• Shugborough House inscription
• Thebes tablets

The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum. ... The Behistun Inscription, carved into a cliffside, gives the same text in three languages, telling the story of King Darius conquests, with the names of twenty-three provinces subject to him. ... Decree of Themistocles, NAMA, 13330 The Decree of Themistocles is an ancient Greek inscription discussing Greek strategy in the Greco-Persian Wars, purported to have been issued by the Athenian assembly under the guidance of Themistocles. ... The Dipylon inscription is a short text written on an ancient Greek pottery vessel dated to c. ... The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 272 to 231 BCE. These inscriptions are dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Pakistan... The Laguna Copperplate inscription, found 1989 in Laguna de Bay, in the metroplex of Manila, Philippines, has inscribed on it a date of Saka era 822, corresponding to April 21st, 900CE according to Vedic astronomy, containing words from Sanskrit, old Javanese, old Malay and old Tagalog, releasing its bearer, Namwaran... A Greek hagiographical text, which has, however, undergone alterations, and a Greek inscription of the 2nd century have made known to us a certain Abercius, Bishop of Hieropolis, in Phrygia, who, about the middle of the century in question, left his episcopal city and visited Rome. ... The Malia altar stone is a stone slab bearing an inscription in Cretan hieroglyphs, excavated in Malia, Crete. ... The Phaistos Disc (Phaistos Disk, Phaestos Disc, Greek: Δίσκος της Φαιστού) is a curious archaeological find, likely dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age. ... A fairly substantial number of Arabian inscriptions survive from the pre-Islamic era; however, very few are in the Arabic alphabet. ... Orhon (or Orkhon) inscriptions are the oldest known Turkic writings, which were erected near the Orhon River between 732 and 735 in honour of two Kokturk princes named Kul and Bilge. ... The Duenos inscription, as recorded by Heinrich Dressel. ... The Bryggen inscriptions are a find of some 600 runic inscriptions on wood (mostly pine) and bone found from 1955 and forth at Bryggen (and its surroundings) in Bergen, Norway. ... The Bitola Inscription of Tsar Ivan Vladislav, restored copy. ... A Crucifix with the INRI plaque attached, the Holy Spirit Church in Košice, Slovakia A Crucifix with the stylized INRI plaque attached, the cornfields near Mureck in rural Styria, Austria INRI is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM, which translates to English as: Jesus the... Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, England has in its grounds an 18th-century monument commissioned by Admiral George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, bearing an inscription that is thought to be an uncracked ciphertext. ... The Thebes tablets are clay tablets, discovered in the city of Thebes, with inscriptions in the Mycenaean language in the Linear B script, dating to the 13th century BC. A substantial portion, some 250 tablets, amounting roughly to 5% of the entire Mycenaean corpus, was discovered by Vassilis L. Aravantinos...

Types of inscription

• Abecedarium
• Chronogram
• Copper plate inscriptions
• Epitaph on a headstone
• Ex libris
• Memento mori
• Monumental inscription
• Rune stone
• Hero stone
• Stoichedon

An abecedarium is an inscription consisting of the letters of the alphabet in order. ... A chronogram is a sentence or inscription in which the capital letters, interpreted in Roman numerals, stand for a particular date if rearranged. ... Example of a Chola inscription in Tamil from the 12th century C.E. Siyakas Harsola Paramara copper plate of 1005 Indian copper plate inscriptions play an extremely important role in the reconstruction of the history of India. ... An epitaph ( literally: on the gravestone in ancient Greek) is text honoring the deceased, most commonly inscribed on a tombstone or plaque. ... “Tombstone” redirects here. ... Ex libris (Latin: from books) is a phrase often used in an ownership inscription or a bookplate, usually found on the inside of a book cover or on one of the first few pages. ... Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation by Hans Memling. ... A Monumental Inscription is an inscription, typically carved in stone, on a grave marker or memorial plaque. ... A rune stone in Lund Rune stones are stones with runic inscriptions dating from the early Middle Ages but are found to have been used most prominently during the Viking Age. ... Hero stone is a term for a memorial commemorating the death of a hero in India. ... Detail of the Sacred law concerning temple-worship on the Acropolis, EM 6794 (IG I3 4B) The stoichedon (in Greek:στοιχηδόν) style of epigraphy was the practice of engraving ancient Greek inscriptions in capitals such that the letters were aligned vertically as well as horizontally. ...

See also

• Leiden Conventions
• Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
• Inscriptiones Graecae and Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum
• Bulletin Epigraphique
• L'Année Epigraphique

• EpiDoc, epigraphic markup in XML
• Writing systems, a general review and survey
• Petroglyph
• Ogham

Other studies of the writing of texts include: The Leiden Conventions are an established set of rules, symbols, and brackets used to indicate the condition of an epigraphic or papyrological text in a modern edition. ... The Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. ... Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum (SEG) is an annual publication (published by J.C. Gieben, Amsterdam, Netherlands) collecting bibliography and summaries of Greek inscriptions published in the previous year; new inscriptions have full Greek text and critical apparatus. ... The EpiDoc Collaborative, building recommendations for structured markup of epigraphic documents in TEI XML, was originally formed in 2000 by scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Tom Elliott, the former director of the Ancient World Mapping Center, with Hugh Cayless and Amy Hawkins. ... A writing system, also called a script, is used to visually record a language with symbols. ... Petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument, southern Utah, USA Petroglyphs are images created by removing part of a rock surfaces by incising, pecking, carving, and abrading. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ...

• Palaeography, the study of handwriting, often a basis for dating a document or even an inscription, (further links available in Palaeography article);
• Papyrology, the study of manuscripts written on papyrus;
• Numismatics, the study of coins;
• Graffiti, informal scratched texts, more individual than official;
• Orthography, the set, the rules and structure of a writing system;
• Typography, selection and arrangement of type;

Palaeography (British) or paleography (American) (from the Greek palaiós, old and graphein, to write) is the study of ancient handwriting, independent of the language (Koine Greek, Classical Latin, Medieval Latin, Old English, etc. ... Penmanship is the art of writing clearly and quickly. ... Papyrology is the study of ancient literature as preserved in manuscripts written on papyrus, the most common form of paper in the Egyptian, Greek and Roman worlds. ... A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus, written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... Numismatics is the scientific study of currency and its history in all its varied forms. ... Graffiti (strictly, as singular, graffito, from the Italian — graffiti being the plural) are images or letters applied without permission to publicly viewable surfaces such as walls or bridges. ... The orthography of a language specifies the correct way of writing in that language. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... For the origin and evolution of fonts, see History of western typography. ...

External links

• L'Association Internationale d'Épigraphie Grecque et Latine
• American Society for Greek and Latin Epigraphy
• Current Epigraphy (blog)
• Epigraphische Datenbank Heidelberg
• Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents, Oxford University
• Electronic Archives of Greek and Latin Epigraphy
• Searchable Greek Inscriptions
• Ubi Erat Lupa: Many epigraphic resources and searchable catalogues
• Onno van Nijf, "Introduction to Greek and Latin epigraphy: an absolute beginners' guide"
• Jean-Marie Lassère, Manuel d’épigraphie romaine. Paris: Picard, Antiquité-synthèses, 2007, 2 volumes, 1167 pages (second edition, first edition in 2005).
• Religious Epithet in Orissan Inscription - India