epigraph

US /ˈep.ə.ɡræf/
UK /ˈep.ə.ɡræf/
"epigraph" picture
1.

a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme.

:
The novel opened with an intriguing epigraph from an ancient philosopher.
Each chapter of the book had a relevant epigraph.
2.

an inscription on a building, statue, or coin.

:
The ancient monument bore an illegible epigraph.
Archaeologists are trying to decipher the epigraph on the newly discovered tablet.