Knowra Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy is the study and interpretation of inscriptions on durable materials such as stone, metal, and pottery. It uses their texts, physical features, and archaeological settings to recover historical evidence.
Palaeography : The study of historical handwriting and scripts, including how their forms changed over time. Letter forms help identify scripts and estimate when an inscription was made.
Writing system : A structured set of signs and conventions used to represent language or other information in visible form. An inscription’s signs must be understood within the conventions of its writing system.
Roman milestones : Roadside markers in the Roman world that recorded distances and often named emperors or officials. Their texts reveal roads, administrative reach, and imperial claims.
Rosetta Stone : A granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree in hieroglyphic, Demotic, and Greek scripts. Its parallel texts helped scholars decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Papyrology : The study of ancient texts written on papyrus, especially documents and manuscripts from Egypt and the Mediterranean. It focuses on papyrus documents rather than inscriptions on durable materials.
Dating methods in archaeology : Scientific and contextual techniques for estimating the age of archaeological materials and events. Dates can be inferred from an inscription’s context, material, and script.
Ancient Greek : The language spoken and written in the Greek world from antiquity through the early Byzantine period. Greek inscriptions document civic, religious, and private life across the ancient Mediterranean.
Greek vase inscriptions : Texts painted or incised on ancient Greek pottery, including names, labels, and short messages. They connect written evidence with objects used in domestic, commercial, and ritual settings.
Behistun Inscription : A multilingual inscription commissioned by Darius I on a cliff in western Iran. Its Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian versions enabled the decipherment of cuneiform.
Numismatics : The study of coins and currency, including their images, inscriptions, manufacture, and circulation. Coin legends overlap with epigraphy, while numismatics also centers on monetary objects and systems.
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