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Epigraphy (Greek, επιγραφή - "written upon") is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs engraved into stone or other permanent 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. The person who studies this is called and Epigrapher. The study of ancient handwriting, usually in ink, is a separate field, Paleography.
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 are usually inscribed in stone for public view (or 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 Minoan culture the deciphered texts of "Linear B" were revealed to be largely temple tallies of tribute for the gods. Informal inscribed texts are "graffiti" in its original sense.
Often only the epigraphic texts have survived. A case in point is the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, where the written codices were collected and burned in the 16th century; the bulk of remaining epigraphical documentation are the monumental glyphs. Specialist epigraphers have decoded Mayan inscriptions in the 20th century, among them J. Eric S. Thompson, Tatiana Proskouriakoff, Yuri Knorozov, Linda Schele, and David Stuart.
More on [ Epigraphy ]
Classical Studies :: Arts
Graphemics and Orthography :: Linguistics
Ancient :: By Time Period
Practical Epigraphy Workshop 2010 - 22-24th June 2010, Great North Museum, Newcastle: http://bit.ly/5tULv
vinbrown (Vincent Brown) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:46:07 -0000
Practical Epigraphy Workshop 2010 - 22-24th June 2010, Great North Museum, Newcastle: http://bit.ly/5tULv
Also: Reclaim interior monologue. What? That clearly made sense compared to Latin Epigraphy.
aceraceae (Wren) Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:30:33 -0000
Also: Reclaim interior monologue. What? That clearly made sense compared to Latin Epigraphy.
Islamic Inscriptions - Examples of Pre-Islamic and Islamic Arabic Inscriptions from 1st Century of Hijra onwards.
Meta Description: [ Examples Of Pre-Islamic and Islamic Inscriptions From 1st Century Of Hijra Onwards. ]
African Writing Systems - Professor Ayele Bekerie introduces the various writing systems of Africa including Ancient Egyptian, Meroitic and Ethiopic. Petroglyphs, pictographs, syllabic and alphabetic types.
American Society of Greek and Latin Epigraphy - A non-profit organization whose purpose is to further research in, and the teaching of, Greek and Latin epigraphy in North America. The Society fosters collaboration in the field and facilitates the exchange of scholarly research and discussion, both in the public forum and in published form.
Meta Description: [ Home page of the American Society of Greek and Latin Epigraphy ]
British Epigraphy Society - An independent 'chapter' of the Association Internationale d'Epigraphie Grecque et Latine. Aims, constitution, committee, events, news, jobs and prizes.
Browsing the Memory of the World - Describes use of Unicode for encoding dead and academic scripts.
Celtic Inscribed Stones - A study by University College London of all non-Runic early mediaeval inscribed stones in the British Isles and Brittany. Scope, researchers, and online database.
Center for Epigraphical and Palaeographical Studies - Research facility for the study of Greek and Latin inscriptions and manuscripts in the United States. Its purpose is to foster the study of inscriptions and manuscripts and promote research opportunities for those interested in these primary sources of information for the ancient and medieval world.
Chicago Demotic Dictionary (CDD) - A lexicographic tool for reading texts written in a late stage of the ancient Egyptian language and in a highly cursive script known as Demotic.
Chiron - Journal of the German Archaeological Institute, covering many epigraphic topics. Lsts content of recent volumes.
Cuneiform Tablet Collection Catalogue - Online searchable database Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP).
Discussion Group: Inscriptiones-l - A scholarly discussion forum for those people with a professional interest in Greek and Latin epigraphy.
Meta Description: [ Inscriptiones-l: Inscriptiones is a scholarly discussion forum for those people with a professional interest in Greek and Latin epigraphy. ]
Earliest Writing Found - The earliest examples of writing may have been discovered in Pakistan, according to archaeologists working on the Harappa project. BBC News report.
Meta Description: [ The earliest examples of writing may have been discovered in Pakistan, according to archaeologists working on the Harappa project. ]
Iberian Epigraphy - Jesús Rodríguez Ramos discusses and illustrates the languages and writing systems of Spain and Portugal, including Celtiberian and Sudlusitanian-Tartessian, with selected bibliography.
Meta Description: [ A reference page on Iberian Epigraphy (language and writing) and on celtiberian and Sudlusitanian-Tartessian writings with selected bibliography ]
Inscriptions from the Land of Israel - Project of the University of Virginia to create a searchable database of all the inscriptions from Israel from c.330 BC to 614 AD. Inscriptions from Beth She'arim currently available.
Linear A Texts in Phonetic Transcription - Proposed phonetic translation. Includes bibliography, and images.
Phaistos Disc - Ole Hagen argues that this inscription from Minoan Crete is a calendar. Includes drawings of both faces of the disc.
Picturing the Past - Researcher Tom Malzbender has invented a tool that lets scholars see ancient inscribed texts in ways never before possible. Illustrated article from Hewlett-Packard Labs.
Meta Description: [ Tom Malzbender, an HP Labs researcher, has invented a tool that lets scholars see ancient texts in ways never before possible. HP Labs is the central research lab for Hewlett-Packard. ]
The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project - Attempt to collect all published and unpublished Neo-Assyrian texts into an electronic database.
The Oriental Institute and Epigraphy - The epigraphic survey of this institute of the University of Chicago was founded in 1924 and continues to record inscriptions and decoration on Ancient Egyptian monuments.
The two sides of the Phaistos Disc - Proposes a connection between the Phaistos Disc, the Arkalochorie axe and Linear A.
Meta Description: [ Site about the connection between the Phaistos disc, the Arkalochorie axe and Linear A ]
Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik (ZPE) - International Journal for Papyrology and Ancient Epigraphics, covering the full spectrum of ancient texts. The articles are written in the author's languages, including English, German, and French.
Meta Description: [ Herzlich willkommen bei der ZPE ]
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