The ‘From Tablet to Tablet’ Project

Erika Notti, Giovanna Rocca, Mario Negri

The ‘From Tablet to Tablet’ Project. Exploring the Practical Applications of Imaging Techniques in Epigraphy and the Cultural Heritage (“Dalla Tavoletta al Tablet”. Indagini di imaging per applicazioni all’epigrafia e ai beni culturali), is a project funded by the Department of Humanities of IULM University (Milan, Italy) in order to advance epigraphic, palaeographic, philological and archaeological research, with particular regard to the field of Aegean studies. The ‘From Tablet to Tablet’ Project is coordinated by Erika Notti, with the participation of Giovanna Rocca and Mario Negri.

Its primary aim is to promote research in situ; publications both printed and digital (i.e. studies on texts selected by specific topic or from archives); the creation of databases and photographic and bibliographic repertoires; the development of interactive multimedia material for research and didactic purposes and the organisation of international events, workshops and conferences.

The project continues and develops a tradition, inaugurated by the Department of Humanities, of international joint ventures and symposia aimed at fostering Aegean studies, among which are worthy of mention those in close collaboration with the Sapienza University of Rome, such as “Colloquium Romanum” (XII International Colloquium on Mycenaean Studies, 20-25 February 2006, Sapienza University, Rome); International Conference on “Observations on Aegean Chronologies in the Light of the Recent Discoveries of Santorini” (27-28 April 2009, IULM University, Milan); Colloque International « Un millénaire d’histoire et d’archéologie chypriotes (1600-600 av. J.-C.) » (18-19 October 2012, IULM University, Milan); Colloque International « Le sacrifice humain dans le monde égéen et dans les civilisations périphériques », (27-28 October 2014, IULM University, Milan); Colloque International « Les Échanges dans les civilisations de L’Orient, de l’Égypte et de la Méditerranée à l’âge du Bronze » (4-5 May 2017, IULM University, Milan).

Among the various lines of research currently ongoing under the aegis of the ‘From Tablet to Tablet’ Project the one which inspired its name is based precisely on the adoption of an innovative methodological approach to the study and publication of archaeological finds, ancient texts and inscribed supports, based on the application of advanced non-invasive digital imaging technologies. A fruitful renewed cooperation between the so-called ‘hard and soft sciences’ has recently opened fresh horizons, and the quest for the most advantageous equilibrium between the two represents the true challenge, both now and in the future.

In epigraphy, the recent application of technologies such as Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) or 3D Laser Scanning has shown that new scientific results may be attained, not only providing further objective data with which to evaluate, provide further support to or refresh the currently available picture, but also making it possible to realise high-resolution reproductions of the finds, thus permitting their virtual (re-)examination – although a direct autopsy of the finds naturally remains an ineliminable first step in any research.

Such versatile technologies have a wide range of advantages and applications. They are not only useful tools in research, but also in the field of Cultural Heritage and in active and interactive learning, in terms of documentation, preservation, dissemination, and aesthetic appeal. The mission of the ‘From Tablet to Tablet’ Project is to preserve and disseminate knowledge, encourage learning and further research, and this is the primary objective of the present website.

This website has been designed with the precise intent of providing a freely available, interactive tool not only for specialist scholars, but also for a wider public and to all those with an interest in the history of mankind and in one of his greatest inventions – writing.

Its primary function is to present a selection of Mycenaean tablets, reproduced in the form of interactive RTI images and 3D laser-scanned models, which from a point of view both quantitative and qualitative make up a coherent and suitably thematic group of texts. Besides the interactive photos, we have also decided to include some essential information concerning the physical characteristics of the supports, the contents, and the epigraphic and palaeographic data, provided mainly for the purpose of dissemination.

We have focused on those Mycenaean tablets attesting pa-i-to, a recurring place name, generally interpreted as /P^haistos/ (: Φαιστόϛ), whose geographical localization in the plain of the Mesara, to the south of the river Ieropotamos, is unanimously agreed upon. Pa-i-to (and the related ethnic adjectives) is widely attested in the documentation, thus the website will contain no less than 90 Mycenaean tablets and fragments. This website will gradually be updated as research goes on, and fresh scientific results will subsequently be presented in a more extended form in printed publications.

This website is maintained thanks to the support of the ‘From Tablet to Tablet’ Project, coordinated by Erika Notti, in close collaboration with Alessandro Greco (Sapienza, University of Rome) and Georgia Flouda (Heraklion Archaeological Museum).