epigraphy -
The study or decipherment of inscriptions, especially of ancient ones.
Wikipedia
Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be deduced concerning the writing and the writers. Specifically excluded from epigraphy is the historical significance of an epigraph as a document or the artistic value of a literary composition. A person utilizing the methods of epigraphy is called an epigrapher or epigraphist.
