Inscriptions by type

thumb|260px|Stele N from Copán, [[Honduras, depicting King K'ac Yipyaj Chan K'awiil ("Smoke Shell"), as drawn by Frederick Catherwood in 1839]] thumb|Stele to the French 8th Infantry Regiment. Commons:Category:Battle of Waterloo steles|One of more than half a dozen steles located on the Waterloo battlefield. A stele ( ) or stela ( ) is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected in the ancient world as a monument. The surface of the stele often has text, ornamentation, or both. These may be inscribed, carved in relief, or painted.

thumb|right|240px|Epitaph on the base of the ''Haymarket Martyrs' Monument'', [[Waldheim Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois]]

[[Image:AGMA Ostrakon Cimon.jpg|right|thumb|Ostrakon inscribed with "Kimon [son] of Miltiades", for Cimon, an Athenian statesman.]] thumb|Ostrakon of Megacles, son of Hippocrates (inscription: ΜΕΓΑΚΛΕΣ ΗΙΠΠΟΚΡΑΤΟΣ), 487 BC. On display in the Ancient Agora Museum in Athens, housed in the [[Stoa of Attalus]] right|thumb|Ancient Greek ostraca voting for the ostracism|ostracization of [[Themistocles in 472/471 BC.]]

thumb|upright=1.3|Chronogram on the Belfry of Thuin in Belgium: " reæDIfICor baptIstæ CherMan̄e soLertIa" thumb|Portrait of Henry van Gameren, with Chronogram A chronogram is a sentence or inscription in which specific letters, interpreted as numerals (such as Roman numerals), stand for a particular date when rearranged. The word, meaning "time writing", derives from the Greek words chronos (χρόνος "time") and gramma (γράμμα, "letter").

letter, symbol or an inscription on a coin indicating the mint where the coin was produced

thumb|The Anglo-Saxon futhorc (abecedarium anguliscum) thumb|An Early Cyrillic abecedarium on birch bark document № 591 from ancient [[Novgorod (Russia). Dated to 1025–1050 AD.]] thumb|Folio 1 of the Codex Gigas, showing Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Glagolitic, and Early Cyrillic abecedaria An abecedarium (also known as an abecedary or ABCs or simply an ABC) is an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order. Typically, abecedaria (or abecedaries) are practice exercises.

Indian commemoration stones from 2nd century to 18th century in memory of a heroic warrior

thumb|right|300px|Detail of the Sacred law concerning temple-worship on the Acropolis, EM 6794 (IG I3 4B)

thumb|Four Paliyas, one dedicated to man and three to women at Chhatardi, Bhuj, [[Kutch, Gujarat, India]]