inscriptio

Inscripio is a Latin noun meaning inscription or the text inscribed on a durable surface. It derives from in- “on” and scribere “to write,” with the agentive suffix -ptio, yielding inscriptio, inscriptiōnis in later Latin. In scholarly usage, inscriptio denotes either the act of inscribing or, more commonly, the inscription itself—the words carved, incised, or painted on stone, metal, ceramic, or similar media.

In epigraphy and archaeology, inscriptio is the standard term for the textual content of an inscription. Field researchers identify inscriptio to determine who is commemorated, the date or era, the provenance of the object, religious or civic dedications, and sometimes legal or honorary proclamations. The inscriptio often appears alongside other epigraphic features such as nominative titulature, symbolics, imagery, or dedications. The form of inscriptio can vary from short dedicatory lines to lengthy proclamations, and it may be written in the local language, Greek, Latin, or other scripts used in antiquity.

Historically, inscriptio provides critical evidence for languages, history, religion, and social structure. It allows scholars to reconstruct public institutions, honorific practices, and individual identities within ancient communities. In modern editions, the inscriptio is transcribed and translated, with paleographic details noted to aid dating and provenance. The term is also used in numismatics and on commemorative artifacts, where the inscriptio on coins, altars, or monuments serves as a primary source for interpretation.

See also: epigraphy, inscription, titulus.