paleography
Also known as: palaeography
- Also spelled:
- palaeography
- Related Topics:
- calligraphy
- textual criticism
- handwriting
- history
paleography, study of ancient and medieval handwriting. The term is derived from the Greek palaios (“old”) and graphein (“to write”). Precise boundaries for paleography are hard to define. For example, epigraphy, the study of inscriptions cut on immovable objects for permanent public inspection, is related to paleography. Casual graffiti, sale or election notices as found on the walls of Pompeii, and Christian inscriptions in the Roman catacombs are likewise part of paleographical knowledge. In general, however, paleography embraces writing found principally on papyrus, parchment (vellum), and paper. Today, paleography is regarded as relating to Greek and Latin scripts with their ...(100 of 3582 words)