epigraphy

noun

epig·​ra·​phy i-ˈpi-grə-fē 

e-

1

: epigraphs, inscriptions

2

: the study of inscriptions

especially : the deciphering of ancient inscriptions

Examples of epigraphy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mitchell, who specialized in epigraphy, had found an inscription indicating that a local citizen, Domitius Samos, erected it to commemorate a Roman victory in the Persian Wars in A.D. 233. —Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024

But his forays into epigraphy were perhaps less accomplished and won him mostly skepticism and ridicule from the scientific community. —Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2021

The specialists hailed not just from the field of archaeology, but also from several disciplines, including geology; archaeobotany, the study of ancient plants; epigraphy, the study of inscriptions, and numismatics, the study of ancient coins. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2022

The team tested the system by comparing Pythia's results on completing 2,949 inscriptions with those of Oxford graduate students in epigraphy. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 10 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

epigraph + -y entry 2

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1