Literaturbericht zur mittelalterlichen und neuzeitlichen Epigraphik (1998-2002) (review)

The field of epigraphy embraces a broad range of subjects, since inscriptions can be studied for their historical content, appearance, language, and development, to name but a few. As a result, this bibliography of recent scholarship on epigraphy from the medieval through the Renaissance periods will be a valuable resource for scholars in many areas of cultural history. The fourth such overview presented by the famed institute Monumenta Germaniae Historica includes essays by leading German scholars in the field and at least 4,000 bibliographical entries, many of them annotated. Although the institute is devoted to the study of German history, the material presented here is broader in scope: entries principally cover German language regions, but also include much French, English, and Italian material, reflecting a European spectrum. The inscriptions studied are limited to those using the Latin alphabet.

The contents are arranged in eight sections with a preface by Walter Koch, who initiated this series of bibliographic reviews with the first volume in 1987, which spanned the years 1976 through 1984. He also oversaw subsequent volumes that covered the years 1985–91 (1994) and 1992–97 (2000). He coedited the third and fourth volumes with Franz-Albrecht Bornschlegel of the Ludwig-Maximilians Universität in Munich.

In the first two sections,Koch discusses articles, papers, congress proceedings, handbooks, and abstracts on epigraphy, as well as series sponsored by national institutes dedicated to the study of epigraphy. In the third section, Bornschlegel, with the assistance of Maria Glaser, lists articles, chapters, and entire volumes on inscriptions in Germany as well as in other European countries. For the fourth section, Bornschlegel discusses various projects throughout Europe that address practical issues related to the epigraphic studies, such as terminology, transcription, and reproduction. For the fifth section, Koch turns to the study of the paleography of inscriptions—that is, the letter forms with their distinctive characteristics and development. Next, Bornschlegel, in section 6, presents examinations of epigraphic texts as historic writings with regard to their orthography, formulaic constructions, abbreviations, and meter, together with their social and historic connotations. The next section, which at 132 pages is the lengthiest in the book, addresses individual monuments and groups of monuments. The citations are themselves arranged under headings that proceed from general ("Geschichte allgemein" [sic] and "Kunstgeschichte") to the more specific ("Glocken" and "Grabmäler"). The final section presents citations of articles, books, and collections of essays in the history of art and epigraphy and addresses issues associated with the reconstruction of incomplete or lost inscriptions.

There is much here to excite researchers and compel them to consult their favorite database. To organize such a wealth of material is a daunting task, and the rationale for a citation's placement seems illogical and inconsistent at times. Fortunately, this work concludes with three indices, organized by author, location, and person and object. A scholar would benefit from spending some time in a favorite armchair browsing through this rich bibliographic collection.