Chronological Profiling for Paleography

This paper approaches manuscript dating from a Bayesian perspective. Prior work on paleographic date recovery has generally sought to predict a single date for a manuscript. Bayesian analysis makes it possible to estimate a probability distribution that varies with respect to time. This in turn enables a number of alternative analyses that may be of more use to practitioners. For example, it may be useful to identify a range of years that will include a document’s creation date with a particular confidence level. The methods are demonstrated on a selection of Syriac documents created prior to 1300 CE

Graphetic variation within one scribal hand as evidence on manuscript production

This paper explores the potential benefits of analysing graphetic variation for philological and textual research on manuscript material. For this pilot study, two gatherings from two mid-sixteenth-century English manuscripts were analysed. The gatherings share some of their texts and are written by the same scribe. According to a set of five criteria defined in this paper, variation in word-final s forms was selected as an example of graphetic variation. The distribution of two variant forms of word-final s was studied in order to locate possible changes in preference. The results show that analysing the distribution of graphetic variants may reveal discontinuities in textual production, for example where one scribal stint ends and another begins. Together with codicological and textual evidence, an analysis of graphetic variation can be helpful in determining the textual structure of manuscripts and establishing the chronological sequence of manuscript production. The method can also be used for the purposes of palaeography, especially scribal identification. The approach could be further tested in order to determine which graphemes and other visual features are suitable for such an analysis and to form a diagnostic set of those features.</p

Isolated Character Forms from Dated Syriac Manuscripts

This paper describes a set of hand-isolated character samples selected from securely dated manuscripts written in Syriac between 300 and 1300 C.E., which are being made available for research purposes. The collection can be used for a number of applications, including ground truth for character segmentation and form analysis for paleographical dating. Several applications based upon convolutional neural networks demonstrate the possibilities of the data set

Individuality and Identity in Cuneiform: Personalising Writing Practices in the Neo-Sumerian (Ur III) and Old Assyrian Periods

Writing is a product of the hand as much as of the mind; not an innate ability, it is a learned and practised skill, a combination of rules and standards performed by individuals. Inscribed objects, beyond their documentary content, materialise the writing process and the context in which it was performed. This research aims to further our understanding of the material aspects of cuneiform writing beyond its documentary and historical nature, analysing the observable marks left on inscribed tablets by ancient writers. Understanding identity and individuality in cuneiform in terms of sameness and difference, this research investigates how idiosyncrasies and similarities can be formally expressed in writing. Individuality and identity in cuneiform are analysed through the study of two contrasting corpora: the institutionalised production of professional Ur III scribes at the epicentre of state bureaucracy in Mesopotamia in the 21st century BCE, and the practical literacy of Old Assyrian merchants trading between Mesopotamia and Anatolia in the 19th century BCE. Considering the artefactual value of inscribed objects, this research addresses the extent to which palaeographic and material features can vary, conform, or evolve over time, across sites and between groups and individuals. By contrasting datasets, this research interrogates the relationship between inscribed artefacts and writing practices through palaeographic and diplomatic features such as sign variants, writing sequence and text layout. Illustrating the application of a new integrated approach to writing practices to study cuneiform tablets as material objects, this research reaches new layers of information through the study of features such as script density or character forms and formation, thus providing new evidence about standardisation and personalisation of writing practices in the Ur III and Old Assyrian periods. This research was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council under the Collaborative Doctoral Awards scheme (CDA reference: AH/P004539/1)

Trace Element Analysis of Human Dentition from the Elite Meroitic Cemetery at Sedeinga, Sudan to Determine Dietary Consumption and Cultural Behaviors

Minimal research has been conducted on the human skeletal remains from this site, and this research is aimed toward adding knowledge of the Nubian culture for the period between the 1st c. AD to the 4th c. AD, particularly focusing on answering the following questions: 1) Was intra- individual variation present in dietary consumption or cultural behaviors based on elements found within an individual\u27s multiple molars after analysis; 2) Was an inter-individual variation apparent, based on developmental age through permanent molars, that indicated a distinction between dietary consumption against all individuals; and 3) Based on known medicinal and cosmetic use of kohl in neighboring societies, as well as archaeological evidence found at Sedeinga, if individuals will have used kohl based on observed increased levels of lead or antimony? A trace element analysis was performed on an archaeological sample from 13 individuals consisting of 21 first, second, and third permanent molars excavated from the elite Nubian Meroitic Cemetery of Sedeinga, located in northern Sudan. Elemental analysis was performed using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). A total of 13 trace elements including Ca44 and P31; minor elements Mg24, S32, C13, and Sr88; metals Fe56, Cu63, Zn66, Sb121, and Pb208; and La139 and U238 were analyzed for each sample with concentration values mapped and analyzed. The data collected during laser ablation was utilized to create two-dimensional detection and concentration maps of each tooth using MATLAB® software. Analysis of concentration values confirmed dietary change from early childhood to late adolescence across the population. Probable use of antimony and lead-based kohl was determined from high concentration values mapped in dentition. Two-dimensional mapping of trace elements within teeth have revealed cultural and dietary changes across the population

Electronic Imaging & the Visual Arts. EVA 2012 Florence

The key aim of this Event is to provide a forum for the user, supplier and scientific research communities to meet and exchange experiences, ideas and plans in the wide area of Culture & Technology. Participants receive up to date news on new EC and international arts computing & telecommunications initiatives as well as on Projects in the visual arts field, in archaeology and history. Working Groups and new Projects are promoted. Scientific and technical demonstrations are presented

Late Quaternary terrestrial processes, sediments and history: from glacial to postglacial environments : Excursion guide and abstracts of the INQUA Peribaltic Working Group Meeting and field excursion in Eastern and Central Latvia, August 17 - 22, 2014

University of Latvi

Collaborative Research Practices and Shared Infrastructures for Humanities Computing

The volume collect the proceedings of the 2nd Annual Conference of the Italian Association for Digital Humanities (Aiucd 2013), which took place at the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Padua, 11-12 December 2013. The general theme of Aiucd 2013 was “Collaborative Research Practices and Shared Infrastructures for Humanities Computing” so we particularly welcomed submissions on interdisciplinary work and new developments in the field, encouraging proposals relating to the theme of the conference, or more specifically: interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity, legal and economic issues, tools and collaborative methodologies, measurement and impact of collaborative methodologies, sharing and collaboration methods and approaches, cultural institutions and collaborative facilities, infrastructures and digital libraries as collaborative environments, data resources and technologies sharing

Collaborative Research Practices and Shared Infrastructures for Humanities Computing

The volume collect the proceedings of the 2nd Annual Conference of the Italian Association for Digital Humanities (Aiucd 2013), which took place at the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Padua, 11-12 December 2013. The general theme of Aiucd 2013 was “Collaborative Research Practices and Shared Infrastructures for Humanities Computing” so we particularly welcomed submissions on interdisciplinary work and new developments in the field, encouraging proposals relating to the theme of the conference, or more specifically: interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity, legal and economic issues, tools and collaborative methodologies, measurement and impact of collaborative methodologies, sharing and collaboration methods and approaches, cultural institutions and collaborative facilities, infrastructures and digital libraries as collaborative environments, data resources and technologies sharing