stele
Inscribed ancient slab
A stele is an upright stone slab or pillar, typically bearing inscriptions, relief sculptures, or commemorative markings.
Ancient cultures—Greek, Egyptian, Mayan—used stelae to mark graves, record laws, or honor victories: The Rosetta Stone is technically a stele.
In botany, stele refers to the central vascular tissue of a plant stem or root.
Plural: stelae or steles.
Ancient Egyptian picture-writing
- cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
- glyphsCarved symbolic figures
- epitaphText honoring the deceased
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
script · text · decipherment · translation · lettering · epigraphy · calligraphy · demotic
Tapering stone monument
- pillarUpright architectural support
- columnVertical structural element
- monolithHuge solitary standing stone
- menhirPrehistoric upright stone monument
dolmen · marker · boundary · milestone · waymarker · plinth · pedestal · landmark
Memorial stone at grave
- gravestoneBurial site marker
- headstoneMemorial slab marking burial
- epitaphText honoring the deceased
- cemeteryPlace for interring remains
graveyard · necropolis · burial · memorial · cenotaph · sepulcher · crypt · mortuary
Edged carving implement
- bas-reliefSculpture projecting slightly
- reliefEasing of distress
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
- graniteIgneous rock, quartz-rich
limestone · marble · sandstone · basalt · stonecutter · mason · carving · sculptor
Act of unearthing
- digUnearth by shoveling
- siteDesignated location
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
antiquity · ruins · relics · conservation · preservation · museum · discovery · unearthed
hieroglyphs
Ancient Egyptian picture-writing
- cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
- glyphsCarved symbolic figures
- epitaphText honoring the deceased
engraving · script · text · decipherment · translation · lettering · epigraphy · calligraphy · demotic · cartouche
obelisk
Tapering stone monument
- pillarUpright architectural support
- columnVertical structural element
- monolithHuge solitary standing stone
menhir · dolmen · marker · boundary · milestone · waymarker · plinth · pedestal · landmark · commemorative
tombstone
Memorial stone at grave
- gravestoneBurial site marker
- headstoneMemorial slab marking burial
- epitaphText honoring the deceased
cemetery · graveyard · necropolis · burial · memorial · cenotaph · sepulcher · crypt · mortuary · funerary
chisel
Edged carving implement
- bas-reliefSculpture projecting slightly
- reliefEasing of distress
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
granite · limestone · marble · sandstone · basalt · stonecutter · mason · carving · sculptor · incised
excavation
Act of unearthing
stratigraphy · antiquity · ruins · relics · conservation · preservation · museum · discovery · unearthed · fragment
- artifactspottery shards, knives, masks, pottery, antiquity
- plant anatomyroot, stem, leaves, stems, leaf
- ancient artifactsjade mask, Viking sword, bronze sculptures, antiquities, Roman coin
- memorialsmemorial, memorial service, memorial statue, memorials, war memorial
- monumentsWashington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Arc de Triomphe
- freestandingbookcase, bookshelf, coat rack, easel, hat stand
steletomb
Underground chamber for remains
sarcophagus · burial chamber · sepulcher · coffin · ossuary