an inscription on a tomb or monument in memory of the dead. Epitaphs were in use among the Greeks and Romans, but the Greeks distinguished by epitaphs only their illustrious men, while among the Romans, private names were regularly recorded upon tomb-stones. The same practice has generally prevailed in Christian countries. Many so-called epitaphs, modern as well as ancient, are merely epigrams or witticisms, not intended to be used upon monuments.