A vision of epigraphy in light of the theory of communication: the frieze of the chapel of St. Gregory's College in Valladolid

Abstract

For centuries, inscriptions have been key instruments in the process of conveying a message to a wide audience. Today’s scholars underscore the communicative nature of inscriptions. Therefore, this paper is an attempt to see epigraphy in light of the modern theories of communication. The existence of three basic factors —subjective, objective, and pragmatic— in the process of communication (according to Martín Algarra’s proposal) constitutes the basis for the present work. This theoretical framework is then followed by a case study: the frieze of the chapel of St. Gregory’s College in Valldolid. The long inscription carved in it becomes a perfect example of the issues we consider in the first section of the article: the different actors involved in the act of communication, the objective elements of the inscription, and the actions needed in order to express the intended message and to interpret it throughout the centuries.