石鼓又称“猎碣”，是中国现存最早的文字刻石，因由十块坚硬的花岗岩凿刻成鼓形而得名。在这些鼓状的石头上镌刻着篆书文字，人称石鼓文。石鼓名称取所刻诗篇的前两个字，即《吾车》、《汧殹》、《田车》、《銮车》、《霝雨》、《作原》、《而师》、《马荐》、《吾水》、《吴人》。其内容系君王臣公们的征旅渔猎，反映了当时社会的政治、经济、文化状况。每首诗十八、九句不等，为四言诗。《石鼓文》文字为大篆，形体特征独特，书法古茂遒朴。唐张怀瓘《书断》云：“体象卓然，殊今异古，落落珠玉，飘飘缨组。”拓本翻刻众多，以阮元、张燕昌等所刻“天一阁本”为最优。
清代的阮元曾藏三名碑于阮氏祠堂，其中三碑刻为秦代《泰山碑》、东汉《华山碑》、三国吴《天发神谶碑》。此三碑被阮元列入“金石十件”之中。又有人称为“阮氏三宝”。据资料记载，阮元还曾摹刻过先秦时期的《石鼓文》，书法界称此为籀文的代表。
篆书（甲骨文和象形文字）也是汉字的肇始。至今发现的先秦刻石文字遗存，最早的要属《石鼓文》，在书法史上属于大篆，也称“籀文”。该刻石于唐初被发现。原石作鼓形，共十石，分别刻有四言诗一首，径约三尺余。内容记述秦国君田猎之事，故又称“猎碣”。曾被弃于陈仓云野，故又称“陈仓十碣”。原石在天兴(今陕西宝鸡)三畤原，历经辗转，今石藏北京故宫博物院。后以拓本行世。阮元曾就《石鼓文》拓本摹刻，置于扬州。
嘉庆二年（1797）夏，阮元细审天一阁藏北宋《石鼓文》拓本。“（阮）元于嘉庆二年夏，细审天一阁本，复参议明初诸本，推究字体，摹以书意，刻为十石，除重文不计，凡可辨识者四百七十二字……”（《杭州—扬州重摹天一阁北宋石鼓文跋》）。
阮元记曰：“天下乐石以岐阳石鼓文为最古，石鼓文拓本以浙东天一阁所藏松雪斋（赵孟頫）北宋本为最古。海盐张芑堂（张燕昌）曾双钩刻石于家。余细审天一阁本，并参以明初诸本，属芑堂以油素书丹，被之十碣，命海盐吴厚生刻之。至于刀凿所施，运以意匠，精神形迹，混而愈全，则扬州江墨君德地所为也。”据此可知，后摹刻时，刻工之一有扬州人江德地，而且刻工尤其精湛。江德地，字墨君，仪征人。善隶古，工篆刻。吴隐《广印人传》有传。又载：“天一阁北宋石鼓拓本，凡四百七十二字，余摹刻为二，一置之杭州府明伦堂，一置扬州府学明伦堂。”（《金石十记》）可知是年， 扬州当有摹刻的“石鼓”十石，“置于扬州府学明伦堂”，但今以无从考。
嘉庆十一年（1806）六月。扬州太守伊秉绶嘱重刻石鼓十石于扬州学府。并有文《扬州府学重刻石鼓跋》云：“岐阳石鼓文，惟宁波天一阁藏北宋拓较今本完好之字为多，阮中丞芸台学生视学浙江时曾刻置杭州学府。今重摹十石，置之扬州府学。大儒好古，嘉惠艺林，洵盛世也。”以此表明，扬州确实藏有摹刻的“石鼓” 十石。
嘉庆十二年（1807）六月。阮元又摹刻《石鼓文》于扬州明伦堂。
至今著述与研究《石鼓文》者凡百十余家。该刻石文字多残损，至北宋欧阳修所录时，已仅存“四百六十五”字。明代范钦“天一阁”藏宋拓本仅存“四百二十二”字，清时扬州府学所置之石，则是以“天一阁”所藏为底本所摹刻。
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Stone drum, also known as "Hungjie", is the earliest existing written stone in China. It is named for its drum shape carved from ten hard granite blocks. On these drum-shaped stones are inscribed seal scripts, known as stone drum inscriptions. The name of the stone drum is taken from the first two words of the inscribed poems, namely "Wu Che", "Shu Shu", "Tian Che", "Ying Che", "Yu Yu Yu", "Zuyuan", "He Shi", "Ma Jian", "Wu Ren", "Wu Shui", "Wu Ren". Its content is the travel, fishing and hunting of the kings and officials, reflecting the political, economic and cultural conditions of the society at that time. Each poem has eighteen or nine sentences, which are four-character poems. The character of Shiguwen is Dazhuan, with unique physical characteristics and ancient and simple calligraphy. Tang Zhang Huaijuan's Shu Shu Shu Shu Yun: "The body image is outstanding, different from the past, falling pearl and jade, drifting reel group." Ruan Yuan, Zhang Yanchang and others carved "Tianyi Pavilion" as the best. Ruan Yuan in the Qing Dynasty had three tablets in Ruan ancestral temple, three of which were inscribed in the Qin Dynasty's Taishan Stele, the Eastern Han Dynasty's Huashan Stele and the Three Kingdoms'Wu's Tianfa Divine Prophecy Stele. These three monuments were included in the "Ten Golden Stones" by Ruan Yuan. Others call it "Ruan's Three Treasures". According to the records, Ruan Yuan also copied Shiguwen in the Pre-Qin Dynasty, which is called the representative of Guwen in calligraphy circles.
Seal scripts (oracle bone inscriptions and hieroglyphs) are also the beginning of Chinese characters. Up to now, the earliest remains of stone inscriptions in Pre-Qin Dynasty belong to Shiguwen, which belongs to Dazhuan in the history of calligraphy, also known as "Zhuwen". The stone was found in the early Tang Dynasty. The original stone is drum-shaped, with ten stones, each engraved with a four-character poem, about three feet in diameter. The content describes the hunting of the emperor's field of Qin State, so it is also called "hunting pillar". Once abandoned in Chen Cang Yunye, it is also known as "Chen Cang Shijie". The original stone in Tianxing (now Baoji, Shaanxi Province) Santianyuan, after rolling, is now hidden in Beijing Palace Museum. Later, he went to the world with rubbings. Ruan Yuan once copied the rubbings of Shiguwen and put them in Yangzhou.
