Epigraphy Through Five Millennia: Texts and Images in Context

For thousands of years, people have expressed their cultural and religious ideas in pictorial and written form. The academic field of epigraphy is concerned with the very same legacies, which have been written, painted, engraved or chiseled on various materials. The group of sources studied includes a range of visual and textual media, such as stelae and statues, as well as rock faces and buildings. Although epigraphy was considered an auxiliary science in the past, it has now developed into an independent and important scientific discipline with a wide range of research possibilities. The contributions brought together in this volume illuminate the geographical area of present-day Egypt and Sudan, while covering a time frame ranging from early rock paintings and monumental pharaonic inscriptions to tombstones from the Islamic period, and modern graffiti in public spaces. Furthermore, they address a broad spectrum of epigraphic topics, theoretical and methodological approaches, and discuss current research questions as well as future perspectives. The anthology thus contributes to a better understanding of epigraphy in Egypt and its neighbouring regions and stimulates further discussions in this field.