What are Inscriptions? How do they help to know about history?

Instructions: The answer for this question can be broken down into three parts:

1. Explain about Inscriptions
2. Explain why were they written and on what objects
3. Give the information they provide with an example

Solution: Inscriptions were the writings engraved on hard surfaces. They were written mostly on rocks, stones, walls of buildings, metals etc.They depicted important events of the past. Various languages such as Prakrit, Sanskrit, Kannada etc., were used for writing the inscriptions. They also give us rich information about the scripts used in our past. The Ashokan Inscription, one of the earliest rock inscriptions, was written in Brahmi script. It depicts the great Kalinga War which changed his life.