Sebastian Scholz

Bedeutung und Möglichkeiten der Inschriftenpaläographie am Beispiel Hersfelder Inschriften

The paper demonstrates the importance of the palaeographic approach for medieval epigraphy on the basis of several fragments from the abbey of Hersfeld. The building of the church of the abbey has so far been dated to the time of 850 or after the abbey was destroyed by fire in 1038. However the analysis of paleographic forms of letters as well as the signs indicating the separation of words and the formulary of the inscriptions lead to a new chronology and shows, that inscriptions were reused after 1038. Another example of the strength of the palaeographic analysis is the case that two extremely eroded fragments could be shown as part of the same inscription, written in the 12th century. Abb. 1: Grabinschrift für Egilhelm Bedeutung und Möglichkeiten der Inschriftenpaläographie 553 Abb. 2: Grabinschrift für Gawolf Abb. 3: Grabinschrift für einen unbekannten Mönch Abb. 4: Grabinschrift für Hartwin 554 Sebastian Scholz Abb. 6: Inschrift (Fragment) (Museum Bad Hersfeld) Abb. 7: Inschrift (Fragment) (Bauhof in Bad Hersfeld) Abb. 5: Grabinschrift für einen unbekannten Mönch