Inscriptional Culture in Pentapolitana Cities in the Early Modern Period

A notable pattern emerges from the epigraphic landscape of the Pentapolitana cities during the Early Modern period: inscriptions served as a powerful medium for urban patricians to assert independence and reflect cultural developments shaped by Humanism, Renaissance ideals, and Protestant influences. The study highlights significant examples, such as the mid-16th-century depiction of Martin Luther in Levoča Town Hall, and early 17th-century inscriptions that underscore bourgeois aspirations. Sepulchral monuments, a dominant form of epigraphic expression, provide rich prosopographical data, including biblical quotations valuable for ecclesiastical research and literary works like epicedia. The analysis draws on these monuments to reconstruct the inscriptional culture's evolution, offering insights into the region's intellectual and social dynamics.

Čovan, M. (2025). Inscriptional Culture in Pentapolitana Cities in the Early Modern Period. Mesto a Dejiny, 14(1), 33–47. https://doi.org/10.33542/cah2025-1-02