Epigraphia Zeylanica Being Lithic And Other Inscriptions Of Ceylon

Amongst the early references by Europeans to the existence of Lithic records in Ceylon that of the English captive Robert Knox, in the middle of the seventeenth century, is full of quaint interest. The book is in four volumes which describe an account of the extensive research and study of Lithic and other inscriptions of Ceylon record. The different scholars earlier have rendered lasting service to the cause of Ceylon epigraphy. But since their time such strides have been made in our knowledge of the ancient records and documents of the island, as well as in the method of treating them for publication, that a new edition of Ceylon Inscriptions has become a desideratum. The first principle in modern epigraphic research is that all inscriptions should be reproduced by purely mechanical means. All eye copies and tracings have been discarded, and it is no longer considered permissible to whitewash or to paint the letters of inscriptions in black before they are photographed, or to restore by hand doubtful and illegible signs. All such proceedings are misleading, and reproductions which have been prepared in this manner are rejected by all epigraphists as absolutely useless. The materials, which should be placed by the collector before the epigraphists, should give the documents exactly as they are, with all the imperfections which they exhibit in their natural state. It’s needless to say that this book is an indispensable one for its rich collection of inscriptions.