The study of ancient inscriptions is called:

Answer Details

Epigraphy is the discipline devoted to the study of ancient inscriptions - texts carved, engraved, or etched onto durable materials such as stone, metal, clay tablets, and monuments. Epigraphers analyse the form, content, and context of these inscriptions to reconstruct historical events, languages, laws, and cultural practices of past civilisations.

It is important to distinguish epigraphy from several related but different fields:

• Palaeography is the study of ancient and historical handwriting, particularly on manuscripts written on perishable materials such as papyrus, parchment, or paper. It focuses on how scripts developed and changed over time.
• Numismatics is the study of coins, medals, and currency - not inscriptions in the broader sense.
• Archaeology is the much wider discipline that studies human history through the excavation and analysis of material remains, artefacts, and structures. While archaeologists may encounter inscriptions during excavations, the specialist analysis of those inscriptions falls under epigraphy.

Exam tip: Keep these auxiliary disciplines of history distinct - epigraphy deals with inscriptions on hard surfaces, palaeography with handwriting on soft surfaces, and numismatics with coins and currencies.