It is for me a big surprise to find a high percentage of regular citizens who do not know the meaning of an epigraphist! When I start explaining the inscriptions of Dighton Rock I have to give them a quick etymology of the word epigraphist. It is a compound Greek word. ‘Epi’ meaning ‘at the surface, the outmost’, plus ‘graphy’ meaning ‘writing’ or inscriptions. Usually I point to my skin. My skin, the largest organ of my body, is composed of two parts: (1) superficial, called epi + derm, and the other (2) underneath, called hypo + derm. So my birth marks that are visible, together with my veins are my personal epigraphistic marks.

Geologist, Archaeologist or Epigraphist?
Of these three scientists which ones should be responsible for the diagnosis of the Dighton Rock inscriptions? The Geologist? No. The geologist is only responsible for studying the earth, and the rocks until the beginning of man on this earth. The geologists can tell us, and they have done so, the composition of the Dighton Rock, its density, etc. But the geologist cannot pronounce himself in regards to the inscriptions. This is considered out of his sphere of knowledge.

The archeologist? To a certain extent yes, but usually the archaeologist passes this responsibility to the epigraphist, because this expert holds a super-specialization within archaeology! And because of this dance or merry-go-round, no official epigraphist, comprising more than 300 years of historical research of Dighton Rock, has yet faced, in loco, the Dighton Rock inscriptions!

Epigraphy
According to the Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Epigraphy is the science that studies the inscriptions on hard surfaces (usually stones).

Epigraphy is like detective work. The epigraphist to become an expert has to be prepared with the knowledge of several data. Has to be very familiar with:

(1) Various symbol or letters of the various alphabets: Cuneiform (Mesopotamia), Egyptian [Hieroglyphic], Hebrew, Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Ogam, and even certain sillabary combinations.

(2) The Hindu-Arabian numerals and their metamorphisms

(3) National Symbols: such as coat of arms and national flags

(4) Religious symbols, such as crosses (there are more than 300 different types of crosses in the world), and phallic symbols

(5) Astronomical symbols, such as the sun, the moon and the stars, and their characteristic disposition used by different nations.

(6) Coins of different centuries, different types of armory including canons (open breech & close) and different types of swords

(7) Architectural columns and arches, and different types of construction of forts and castles, (special bastions)

(8) Cartography and its special type of lettering (Roman, Uncial, Gothic, etc) used on the maps by each map maker.

(9) Knowledge of the water currents and the winds of all the oceans. Astrolabe and sextant and determination of longitudes and latitudes.

(10) Different types of sail boats used (caravels, naus, barracks, etc)

(11) Different techniques of photography: tangential lighting, different types of film: black and white, infrared, and digital, and with florescent material and black light.  C14 technique and Geiger counter and ultrasound,  neutron activation analysis  and lichenography 

(12) Different types of tools used  in engravings and even knowledge of different  types of stones. 

(13) Human genetics and linguistics

(14) Different domestic animal: horses, cows, goats, chickens, etc.

(15) Different plants, trees, fruits and leaves; Different seeds: corn, wheat, etc.

When we read any article on epigraphy we can notice that the majorities of the works referred in the bibliography do not deal specifically with cases of epigraphy. This simply prove that the American researchers do not to put emphasis on the epigraphic studies themselves. They prefer to romanticize their writings, instead of basing their articles on the epigraphic findings themselves. On the other hand if they were familiar with certain symbols or icons, their diagnosis would have been more exactly. Much more scientific and convincing.

Based on this satisfying opportunity, I decided to send out my quest to various university professors, archaeological institutions, magazines of the specialty, to find out, in America, Canada, England, Germany, Spain and Portugal, if there are in the world, epigraphists experts of the XV and XVI century, during the period of the great discoveries, with whom I could exchange information about the Dighton Rock inscriptions.

Up to now, (April 2002), I received answers from THIRTY  FIVE  specialists, informing me that they "did not know and therefore could not help me on my quest". But some of them, were kind enough to give me interesting referrals which I am pursuing at the same time. I am most grateful to all those professors that were so kind to answer my quest. 

Of this group of THIRTY FIVE specialists only one, an amateur epigraphist, Donal Buchanan, of the ESOP (Epigraphic Society Occasional Publications), has visited with me and his wife the Dighton Rock Museum and is now evaluating the entire situation of the Dighton Rock inscriptions.

Many years ago, I wrote an article entitled; "The Portuguese theory has to go from Dighton Rock to Portugal and not from Portugal to Dighton Rock".

A statement like this has to be used or applied analyzing any other theory. If you have, for example, a Phoenician theory you have to prove that are Phoenician letters, or Phoenician pine trees, or phallic symbols engraved on the face of Dighton Rock. Otherwise you are out.

If you have, for another example, a Viking theory you have to prove that are engraved on the face of the rock runic letters or any Scandinavian symbols. Otherwise you are out.

This same rule has to be applied to any other theory. If there are NO inscriptions ENGRAVED on the face of the rock, you have NO theory, despite all the fascinating writings you may come up with. It is as simple as that.

Unfortunately there are NO special courses in American institutions of high learning able to graduate individuals to became specialists in epigraphy for the various centuries, including the XV and XVI centuries, which are par excellence the two periods of human history when there were more navigations, discoveries, colonizations and encounters of different races of peoples and cultures all over the world. Some times the most wise is the most missed.

I sincerely hope that one of these days, soon, some university, or institution, or some rich sponsor will see the light to create a special course, so eventually America will have an abundance of epigraphists for all the centuries, and not just for the old Roman and Greek periods. If the Americans do not do it, I am sure other nations eventually will do it!

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