About

History

1. 2007

   An interdisciplinary group of computer engineers, epigraphists and classicists forms at the University of Florida. Its first public appearance is at the International Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy at the University of Oxford, where the presentation is considered a breakthrough for its time.

   The 2007 Oxford presentation

2. 2010

   Preliminary results are published in the Journal of Machine Vision and Applications, proposing a cost-effective method for 3D digitization of epigraphic squeezes based on shape-from-shading.

   A novel framework for 3D reconstruction

3. 2011

   The project is awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities to implement the method and build a graphical interface with 3D visualization and navigation. The resulting website becomes a key reference for epigraphists interested in 3D digitization of paper casts.

   NEH funds the project

4. Since

   Collaborative digitization projects follow with institutions around the world, presented at national and international conferences. The team also won second place in the e-humanities innovation award organized by the University of Leipzig.

   Explore the projects

The ultimate goal of the group is to set advanced technologies to the service and promotion of the humanities, and to bridge gaps in collaborative and interdisciplinary research.

Project administration

• Angelos Barmpoutis, Ph.D.

  Director of the Digital Epigraphy and Archaeology project

  Digital Worlds Institute, University of Florida

• Eleni Bozia, Ph.D.

  Associate Director of the Digital Epigraphy and Archaeology project

  Department of Classics, University of Florida

Key contributors and collaborators

• Miriam Amin

  The Digital Rosetta Stone project at the University of Leipzig and co-author

• Claudia Antonetti, Ph.D.

  The Venice Squeeze project

• Monica Berti, Ph.D.

  The Digital Rosetta Stone project at the University of Leipzig and co-author

• Michèle Brunet, Ph.D.

  The E-STAMPAGES digitization project at the Université Lumière Lyon 2

• Bruno Dede Jr. (Class of 2024)

  Image registration tool for Shape-from-Shading and SVG JavaScript library

• Dinah Eastop, Ph.D.

  UK National Archives digitization project and co-author

• Rachel Farmer, Ph.D.

  UK National Archives digitization project and co-author

• Danielle Fortuna, Ph.D.

  The Altemps Museum in Rome digitization project and co-author

• Rhea Garen

  The Monumentum Ancyranum digitization project at Cornell University

• Josephine Hensel

  The Digital Rosetta Stone project at the University of Leipzig and co-author

• Adeline Levivier, Ph.D.

  The E-STAMPAGES digitization project at the Université Lumière Lyon 2

• Franziska Naether, Ph.D.

  The Digital Rosetta Stone project at the University of Leipzig and co-author

• Seth Pevnick, Ph.D.

  The Sphageion digitization project at the Tampa Museum of Art

• Eric Rebillard, Ph.D.

  The Monumentum Ancyranum digitization project at Cornell University

• Jacob R. Roberts (Class of 2026)

  The Shape-from-Shading digitization tool and co-author

• Giovanna Rocca, Ph.D.

  Collaborator and co-author

• Giulia Sarullo, Ph.D.

  Collaborator and co-author

• Robert S. Wagman, Ph.D.

  Co-founder and co-author

Collaborations and presentations

The project has attracted attention from other institutions, leading to collaborative publications and digitization projects with:

• University of Milan
• Cornell University
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of Lyon 2
• Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
• Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences
• Library of Congress
• UK National Archives
• The British Museum
• Tampa Museum of Art
• Palazzo Altemps, Rome

The team has presented these results at national and international conferences and seminars, including:

• 104th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America
• 13th Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy, University of Oxford
• 14th Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy, Humboldt University
• Digital Humanities Seminar Series, University of Leipzig
• 15th Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy, University of Vienna
• London Digital Classicist Seminar Series
• Berlin Digital Classicist Seminar Series
• 16th Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy, Universities of Bordeaux

The team was also awarded second place in the international competition for the e-humanities innovation award organized by the University of Leipzig.

Funding

The team thanks the public and private foundations, organizations and institutes that have supported its collaborative digitization projects.