Editing Gravestone (section)

== Inscriptions ==
Markers sometimes bear [[monumental inscription|inscriptions]]. The information on the headstone generally includes the name of the deceased and their date of birth and death. Such information can be useful to [[genealogists]] and [[local history|local historians]]. Larger cemeteries may require a discreet reference code as well to help accurately fix the location for maintenance. The cemetery owner, church, or, as in the [[UK]], national guidelines might encourage the use of 'tasteful' and accurate wording in inscriptions. The placement of inscriptions is traditionally placed on the forward-facing side of the memorial but can also be seen in some cases on the reverse and around the edges of the stone itself. Some families request that an inscription be made on the portion of the memorial that will be underground.<ref>{{cite web |author=Fergus Wessell |url=http://www.stoneletters.com/gallery/photo/headstone-epitaph/ |title=Headstone Gallery |access-date=2013-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707033126/http://www.stoneletters.com/gallery/photo/headstone-epitaph |archive-date=7 July 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In addition, some gravestones also bear [[epitaph]]s in praise of the deceased or quotations from religious texts, such as "''[[requiescat in pace]]''". In a few instances the inscription is in the form of a plea, admonishment, testament of faith, claim to fame or even a curse{{snd}}[[William Shakespeare]]'s inscription famously declares

{{poemquote|Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosèd here.
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.}}

Or a warning about [[Death|mortality]], such as this [[Persian Empire|Persian]] poetry carved on an ancient tombstone in the [[Tajiki]] capital of [[Dushanbe]].<ref>[http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2941871.ece Robert Fisk: "An urge to smash history into tiny pieces"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215021234/http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2941871.ece |date=15 December 2007 }} [[The Independent]], 8 September 2007</ref>

[[File:Moses roberts syllabics.JPG|thumb|Gravestone in Canada with indigenous language inscription in [[Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics]]]]
{{poemquote|I heard that mighty Jamshed the King
Carved on a stone near a spring of water these words:
: "Many{{snd}}like us{{snd}}sat here by this spring
: And left this life in the blink of an eye.
: We captured the whole world through our courage and strength,
: Yet could take nothing with us to our grave."}}

Or a simpler warning of inevitability of death:
[[File:Jewish cemetery Sobědruhy 06.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Hebrew]] inscriptions on gravestones in [[Sobědruhy]], Czech Republic]]

{{poemquote|Remember me as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I,
As I am now, so you will be,
Prepare for death and follow me.}}

[[File:Carreg Fedd Ddwyieithog - Bilingual Gravestone - geograph.org.uk - 576196.jpg|thumb|left|Multilingual gravestone in [[Llangybi, Gwynedd]], Wales: Welsh, English, French]]
[[File:A Gurkha soldier's tombstone at Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore.jpg|thumb|left|Gurkha soldier's stone in Singapore]]
[[File:Headstone, Gornja Gorevnica, Serbia.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Serbian women's stone in [[Gornja Gorevnica]], [[Serbia]]]]
[[File:English-German tombstone in Texas.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Information in English, Bible verse in German (Dallas, TX)]]
Headstone engravers faced their own "[[year 2000 problem]]" when still-living people, as many as 500,000 in the United States alone, pre-purchased headstones with pre-carved death years beginning with 19–.<ref name=reason>{{cite journal|last1=Lynch|first1=Michael W.|title=Grave Problem|journal=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]|date=July 1999|url=http://reason.com/archives/1999/07/01/grave-problem|access-date=7 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811124405/http://reason.com/archives/1999/07/01/grave-problem|archive-date=11 August 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Bas-relief]] carvings of a religious nature or of a profile of the deceased can be seen on some headstones, especially up to the 19th century. Since the invention of photography, a gravestone might include a framed [[photograph]] or [[cameo (carving)|cameo]] of the deceased; photographic images or artwork (showing the loved one, or some other image relevant to their life, interests or achievements) are sometimes now [[engraved]] onto smooth stone surfaces.

Some headstones use lettering made of white metal fixed into the stone, which is easy to read but can be damaged by ivy or frost. Deep carvings on a hard-wearing stone may weather many centuries exposed in graveyards and still remain legible. Those fixed on the inside of [[Church (building)|churches]], on the [[Commemorative plaque|walls]], or on the [[ledger stone|floor]] (often as near the [[altar]] as possible) may last much longer: such memorials were often embellished with a [[monumental brass]]. Irish geologist Patrick Wyse Jackson mused on gravestone legibility in 1993 with regards to the different types of stone available:
{{blockquote|The use of [[slate]] for this plaque was a good choice as it weathers very slowly and the quality of the carved lettering remains good for many years. Many (Irish) gravestones from the mid 1700s and 1800s are made of slate. This is fortunate for those interested in tracing [[genealogies]], as many of the inscriptions can still be read after two hundred years. This contrasts sharply with lettering cut into granite, which is illegible after about a hundred years... For those of you who seek a degree of [[immortality]], a slate headstone, or as a second choice, one carved from an Irish limestone, should ensure that your name will remain on view for several centuries to come!{{sfn|Wyse Jackson|1993|page=53}}}}

The choice of language and/or script on gravestones has been studied by [[sociolinguists]] as indicators of language choices and language loyalty. For example, by studying cemeteries used by immigrant communities,<ref>Doris Francis, Georgina Neophytu, Leonie Kellaher. 2005. ''The Secret Cemetery''. Oxford: Berg.</ref> some languages were found to be carved "long after the language ceased to be spoken" in the communities.<ref>p. 42. Kara VanDam. 2009. Dutch–American language shift: evidence from the grave. ''LACUS Forum XXXIV'' 33–42.</ref> In other cases, a language used in the inscription may indicate a religious affiliation.