Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Inscriptions" to "Ireland, William Henry" Volume 14, Slice 6

This entry opens a concise journey into the world of ancient carvings, where stone and metal become the earliest pages of human history. It explains the discipline of epigraphy and how scholars read these permanent texts to piece together forgotten societies. Listeners will quickly grasp why such inscriptions matter beyond mere curiosity, linking language, art, and politics.

The discussion is organized around four major families of inscriptions—Semitic, Indian, Greek, and Latin—each illustrated with landmark examples. Highlights include the Moabite Stone, a ninth‑century B.C. monument that mirrors biblical Hebrew, and the early North Semitic glosses hidden in Egyptian cuneiform tablets. Recent archaeological finds are noted, showing how fresh fragments continually reshape our understanding of ancient literacy.

Beyond cataloguing scripts, the article connects inscriptions to broader fields like palaeography, archaeology, and comparative linguistics. It invites listeners to see every carved line as a dialogue across millennia, offering a foundation for deeper exploration of the civilizations that first learned to write.