Estampage or stamping, is a term commonly used in
epigraphy
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
to obtain the exact replica of an inscription that cannot be transported.
According to Jayanti Madhukar,
it is defined as: The
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
''Webster's Dictionary'' is any of the English language dictionaries edited in the early 19th century by American lexicographer Noah Webster (1758–1843), as well as numerous related or unrelated dictionaries that have adopted the Webster's ...
defines it as:
Etymology
According to T.S. Ravishankar, former director of the Epigraphy branch of the
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...
(ASI), Estampage is a purely Indian term used by
Epigraphist
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
s.
However, a more linguistically correct explanation would be that it originated from the French word
estampage
Estampage or stamping, is a term commonly used in epigraphy to obtain the exact replica of an inscription that cannot be transported.
According to Jayanti Madhukar, it is defined as: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as:
Etymology
Acc ...
(by itself of Proto-Germanic etymology) that literally means 'stamping' and in practice, can mean either of the two processes, namely industrial stamping of steel (
forging
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which i ...
) or the artistic stamping of various materials. The latter meaning seems to be have been adopted into epigraphy.
Process of estampage
Estampage is typically obtained by pressing wet paper on to the rock face, over which any ink material (usually, coal or
Indian ink) is wiped.
An representative procedure
is listed below:
* Soak a brush in water
* Clean the surface of the stone (that holds the inscription) using the brush.
* Carpet the stone surface using a large piece of wet paper (or layers of paper)
* Pat the wet paper(s) gently, using a dabber made of soft material.
* Use Indian ink (usually black-colored) to smear the paper with the dabber, in order to get the impression of the surface.
* Allow the paper to dry on the stone surface.
* When the paper becomes dry, take it off slowly.
* Observe and verify the ink impression (estampage) emerging as white-colored letters (grooves of the characters) against the dark (black) background.
Epigraphers usually take a long time (days to weeks) to post-process the generated estampages, as they try to decipher, analyze, transliterate and translate the inscribed text.
Usage
Within India, estampages have been made for numerous items and inscriptions of archaeological significance.
Some of them include:
*
Edicts of Ashoka
The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire who reigned from 268 BCE to 232 BCE. Ashoka used the expres ...
and
Estampages of Girnar Edicts in particular
*
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
/
Pahlavi inscriptions of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
Museums and displays
In 2016, the epigraphy branch of the ASI Southern Zone opened a new, permanent museum and exhibition of estampages named ''Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch Memorial Museum and Epigraphical Photo Exhibition'' at the historic
Fort St. George
Fort St. George (or historically, White Town) is a fortress in the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English (later British) fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further ...
at
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, South India. This museum is named after
E. Hultzsch
Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch (29 March 1857 – 16 January 1927) was a German indologist and epigraphist who is known for his work in deciphering the inscriptions of Ashoka.
Early life and education
Born in Dresden on 29 March 1857, Hultzsch st ...
, a German epigraphist and
Indologist
Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies.
The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is o ...
renowned for understanding and deciphering the ancient inscriptions of Ashoka, as part of his 159th birthday celebrations.
See also
*
Fernand Courby
Fernand Henri Fabien Courby (19 January 1878 – 6 March 1932) was a French archaeologist and Hellenist, a specialist of ancient Greece, a member of the French School at Athens (class 1905), and professor at the Faculté des lettres of the Unive ...
, a French archaeologist
Collection of over 10,000 estampages from Greece and Middle Eastat
Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée
The Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée (or MOM) is a research body in Lyon, France, that specialises in the Mediterranean and the Middle East and the first steps of humanity. It is dedicated to its founder, historian Jean Pouilloux.
Staf ...
, Lyon, France
References
{{reflist
Archaeological corpora
Methods in archaeology
Epigraphy