Understanding Tombstone Inscriptions in One Minute

Did you know that tombstone inscriptions are quite intricate?

It consists of four parts: the date, main text, signature, and a limit on the number of characters. The date refers to the time of burial usually written on the right side of the tombstone beginning about two-thirds down from the top of the entire inscription. The font size for this part is usually small.

The main text contains the name of the deceased. Modern tombstones often feature couples. The husband's name is placed on the right while the wife's name is on the left. The names are written in two lines with 12 characters, each character being twice the size of the others and positioned in the middle of the columns.

The character count must not be even it must be odd. The character count for the inscription is also limited. The total number of characters, including the date, main text, and signature must be a multiple of five plus one. If the total count does not meet this requirement phrases like 'birth, aging, sickness, death’ or 'metal, wood, water, earth, fire’ can be used, with each word matching a required character. Characters can be added or removed to meet the specified count.

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