What is the study of inscriptions called?

The study of inscriptions is called epigraphy. Epigraphy is the scientific study of texts carved, engraved, or written on durable materials such as stone, metal, clay, ivory, or wood. These texts are called inscriptions. They include royal orders, religious records, donations, building notes, boundary marks, and memorials.

What epigraphers do

• Read and decode scripts: Understand ancient alphabets and languages.
• Date and locate: Use style, language, and context to fix time and place.
• Translate and interpret: Reconstruct history, politics, economy, and society.
• Preserve: Record, photograph, and protect inscriptions from damage.

Why epigraphy matters

• Provides primary evidence from the time of the event, often more reliable than later texts.
• Helps confirm kings’ reigns, battles, land grants, taxes, laws, trade, and religious life.
• Supports archaeology and numismatics in building accurate timelines.

Examples

• Ashokan edicts on pillars and rocks.
• Temple inscriptions recording donations and rituals.
• Roman milestones and Greek steles.

Epigraphy trains careful reading, comparison, and cross-checking with coins, literature, and carbon dating. It also preserves cultural heritage for future study and education.