Question

“Although inscriptions provide strong evidence for reconstructing history yet there are few limitations to these evidences.” Justify the statement.

Answer 1

Limitations of inscriptional evidence:

1. Very thin engraving on letters can limit the reconstruction of historical information from the source or make it difficult to interpret.
2. Due to a long period of time or excavation, inscriptions may be damaged or letters may be missing.
3. The inscription's specific period and location might often make it difficult to deduce its exact meaning.
4. It is possible that inscriptions have not withstood the test of time. Therefore, what is currently available only represents a small portion of what was written.
5. It's possible that inscriptions don't fully capture the political and economic climate of the era.
6. The viewpoint of the individual who commissioned the inscription is expressed in the text. These inscriptions would only show the emperor's splendor because many of them were Prashashtis.
7. It's possible that the inscriptions do not document everyday life or normal agricultural activities.
8. Not every one of the 1,000 inscriptions found has been decoded, published, and translated.