Complete answer: Inscriptions are writings inscribed or engraved on monuments, tablets or any durable material. The study of inscriptions is called Epigraphy. The person who uses methods of epigraphy is called an epigraphist of an epigrapher. The most prominent inscriptions are the monumental inscriptions.

Guns, Germs, and Steel argues that cities require an ample supply of food, and thus are dependent on agriculture. Farming arose early in the Fertile Crescent since the area had an abundance of wild wheat and pulse species that were nutritious and easy to domesticate.

The Fertile Crescent had a dry climate and a fragile environment. The people of the time did not have conservation methods. Instead, they over-exploited the land and environment. Over time, the land could no longer support them.

Paleography, also spelled palaeography, study of ancient and medieval handwriting. The term is derived from the Greek palaios (“old”) and graphein (“to write”).

As nouns the difference between epigraphy and paleography is that epigraphy is inscriptions collectively while paleography is (us) the study of old/ancient forms of writing .

Understanding the document’s historical context can help you read the handwriting and understand its meaning. Read the document aloud; hearing it may help you to recognize unfamiliar words. Write the words yourself by placing tracing paper over a photocopy of your document and tracing each word.

Paleographers are specialists who decipher, localize, date, and edit ancient and medieval texts—those written by hand, before the advent of print—making them available for others to read and understand. …

The study of the writing in surviving manuscripts, the “hand”, is termed palaeography (or paleography).