Imagines Italicae: About the Project

	Imagines Italicae Institute of Classical Studies, London
Home About the Project News and Puzzles Discussion Group Sample Entries References Ancient Communities Contact	About the Project Welcome to the home page of the Imagines Italicae project. Based at the Institute of Classical Studies, London, and funded by a major grant over three years from the Arts and Humanities Research Board, the project aims to place in the hands of scholars the primary evidence both for the texts of the inscriptions of the peoples of Central Italy and for the monumental and archaeological context of these inscriptions. The work is due to be finished by early summer 2004 and to be published as soon as possible thereafter by the Institute of Classical Studies. In the meantime, we plan to place on this home page a growing sample of our work as it progresses, and at the same time to seek the help of colleagues with problems that are beyond our own unaided efforts; we shall also be glad to draw on our collection of material and assist scholars as far as we can, as part of what has from the outset been a collaborative endeavour. For more information about the project, please see our Project Description. We are putting together for epigraphic material written in the Italic languages a publication similar to that of Degrassi's Imagines on Latin inscriptions, in particular to make accessible in a single volume a body of photographic material and a systematic account of each inscription's archaeological context, to direct attention to the inscription as monument. The aim of the project is to collect and publish for every inscription included the following information: A photograph of the original or of a squeeze (with scale); very occasionally, a drawing may be appropriate in addition to, or instead of, a photograph; where the inscription is on a surviving monument, the volume will include a photograph of the monument and where appropriate a plan; where the original does not survive, the volume will include a reproduction of whatever image(s) or description(s) are to be found in the original MS or publication or any relevant subsequent publication. A brief description, to include the nature of the material and measurements. A transcription, employing conventions now standard for presentation of epigraphical texts; the text will be reproduced according to the line divisions of the original, not in such a way as to assimilate it to a literary text. An account of the archaeological context; once again, where the monument does not survive, emphasis will be placed on reproducing the original accounts. Where the inscription is on a vase, for instance, particular importance will be attached to providing an up-to-date bibliographical reference for the class of vase concerned. It would also be important to register the successive names under which the same place in Italy has been known. Latin and English translations, as far as possible. We aim, however, to provide access to discussions of language and content by way of a reference to the most recent discussion. Present location and inventory number, where possible. Such a work will make available for the first time the basis for establishing a text, dating it, and attributing it to its context. It will, we hope, become an essential research resource for linguists, historians, archaeologists, art historians and local historians. Our database currently has over 1300 entries, one per text. The text collection has been mined from the handbooks (E. Vetter, Handbuch der italischen Dialekte (Heidelberg 1953); P. Poccetti, Nuovi Documenti Italici (Pisa 1979); H. Rix, Sabellische Texte (Heidelberg 2002)), from monographs on niche languages or classes of texts and from an exhaustive checking of texts in REI (Rivista di Epigrafia Italica), published in all volumes of Studi Etruschi since 1973. We also have in our collection some texts and bibliography not in the handbooks or yet published in REI. Please do pass on any information you may have (email below)—the most recent and obscure bibliography is especially welcome! After consultation with many academics in the field we believe that no similar project is currently underway. If you know of any collections of Italic inscriptions in preparation, we would of course be grateful for that information. Likewise, we would appreciate learning about any as yet unpublished inscriptions. Please spread the word amongst your colleagues, and encourage them to contact us about recently discovered or published inscriptions or any bibliography (on the archaeology, historical significance, language or interpretation of texts and monuments), especially new publications or those less accessible. Imagines Italicae are: Michael Crawford, FBA, who has been Professor of Ancient History at University College London since 1986; he is also Honorary Librarian of the Joint Library of the Hellenic and Roman Societies and Chair of the Library Committee of the Institute of Classical Studies. He was responsible for co-ordinating and editing the work which resulted in Roman Statutes (1996), also published by the Institute. He has published a series of articles on the economic, social and cultural history of ancient Italy. Will Broadhead, who is Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Bristol. He has a BA in Classics from Middlebury College, USA, and a MA and PhD from University College London; his PhD was on the importance of geographical mobility in the transformation of Italy as a result of the growth of the Roman Empire. He has published articles based on his research in the Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies and the Cahiers du Centre Glotz, and is a member of the Paris research group directed by Professor Claudia Moatti. Margaret Watmough, who has a BA in Classics from King's College London and a PhD in Comparative Philology from University College London via study leave at Freiburg University. She now divides her time between academia and a job in market research based consultancy. Her research interests are the languages of Ancient Central Italy including Etruscan. She has published Studies in the Etruscan Loanwords in Latin (Florence 1997). At Freiburg University she was employed as a researcher in the early stages of the preparation of H. Rix, Sabellische Texte (Heidelberg 2002). Federico Santangelo, who is currently undertaking research for a PhD in Ancient History at University College London. He is working on the Impact of Sulla on Italy and the Mediterranean World. With a BA in Classics from Bologna University, his research interests are the Roman Republic, Ancient Historiography, Pompei and Italic Epigraphy. Gabriel Bodard, who has an MA in Ancient Literature and is completing a PhD in ancient Greek religion and magic; he also teaches Greek literature and language. He is also employed as a researcher by the Centre for Computing and the Humanities at King's College London, and is involved in developing the EpiDoc XML standards for digital epigraphy. He was formerly a research associate at the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae project in California, and is interested in issues relating to the encoding and mark-up of ancient inscriptions and papyri, and electronic resources for Classics more generally. Last updated 2004-02-19 © 2003 Institute of Classical Studies

About the Project

Welcome to the home page of the Imagines Italicae project. Based at the Institute of Classical Studies, London, and funded by a major grant over three years from the Arts and Humanities Research Board, the project aims to place in the hands of scholars the primary evidence both for the texts of the inscriptions of the peoples of Central Italy and for the monumental and archaeological context of these inscriptions. The work is due to be finished by early summer 2004 and to be published as soon as possible thereafter by the Institute of Classical Studies.

In the meantime, we plan to place on this home page a growing sample of our work as it progresses, and at the same time to seek the help of colleagues with problems that are beyond our own unaided efforts; we shall also be glad to draw on our collection of material and assist scholars as far as we can, as part of what has from the outset been a collaborative endeavour. For more information about the project, please see our Project Description.

We are putting together for epigraphic material written in the Italic languages a publication similar to that of Degrassi's Imagines on Latin inscriptions, in particular to make accessible in a single volume a body of photographic material and a systematic account of each inscription's archaeological context, to direct attention to the inscription as monument. The aim of the project is to collect and publish for every inscription included the following information:

A photograph of the original or of a squeeze (with scale); very occasionally, a drawing may be appropriate in addition to, or instead of, a photograph; where the inscription is on a surviving monument, the volume will include a photograph of the monument and where appropriate a plan; where the original does not survive, the volume will include a reproduction of whatever image(s) or description(s) are to be found in the original MS or publication or any relevant subsequent publication.
A brief description, to include the nature of the material and measurements.
A transcription, employing conventions now standard for presentation of epigraphical texts; the text will be reproduced according to the line divisions of the original, not in such a way as to assimilate it to a literary text.
An account of the archaeological context; once again, where the monument does not survive, emphasis will be placed on reproducing the original accounts. Where the inscription is on a vase, for instance, particular importance will be attached to providing an up-to-date bibliographical reference for the class of vase concerned. It would also be important to register the successive names under which the same place in Italy has been known.
Latin and English translations, as far as possible. We aim, however, to provide access to discussions of language and content by way of a reference to the most recent discussion.
Present location and inventory number, where possible.

Such a work will make available for the first time the basis for establishing a text, dating it, and attributing it to its context. It will, we hope, become an essential research resource for linguists, historians, archaeologists, art historians and local historians.

Our database currently has over 1300 entries, one per text. The text collection has been mined from the handbooks (E. Vetter, Handbuch der italischen Dialekte (Heidelberg 1953); P. Poccetti, Nuovi Documenti Italici (Pisa 1979); H. Rix, Sabellische Texte (Heidelberg 2002)), from monographs on niche languages or classes of texts and from an exhaustive checking of texts in REI (Rivista di Epigrafia Italica), published in all volumes of Studi Etruschi since 1973.

We also have in our collection some texts and bibliography not in the handbooks or yet published in REI. Please do pass on any information you may have (email below)—the most recent and obscure bibliography is especially welcome!

After consultation with many academics in the field we believe that no similar project is currently underway. If you know of any collections of Italic inscriptions in preparation, we would of course be grateful for that information. Likewise, we would appreciate learning about any as yet unpublished inscriptions. Please spread the word amongst your colleagues, and encourage them to contact us about recently discovered or published inscriptions or any bibliography (on the archaeology, historical significance, language or interpretation of texts and monuments), especially new publications or those less accessible.

Imagines Italicae are:

Michael Crawford, FBA, who has been Professor of Ancient History at University College London since 1986; he is also Honorary Librarian of the Joint Library of the Hellenic and Roman Societies and Chair of the Library Committee of the Institute of Classical Studies. He was responsible for co-ordinating and editing the work which resulted in Roman Statutes (1996), also published by the Institute. He has published a series of articles on the economic, social and cultural history of ancient Italy.

Will Broadhead, who is Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Bristol. He has a BA in Classics from Middlebury College, USA, and a MA and PhD from University College London; his PhD was on the importance of geographical mobility in the transformation of Italy as a result of the growth of the Roman Empire. He has published articles based on his research in the Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies and the Cahiers du Centre Glotz, and is a member of the Paris research group directed by Professor Claudia Moatti.

Margaret Watmough, who has a BA in Classics from King's College London and a PhD in Comparative Philology from University College London via study leave at Freiburg University. She now divides her time between academia and a job in market research based consultancy. Her research interests are the languages of Ancient Central Italy including Etruscan. She has published Studies in the Etruscan Loanwords in Latin (Florence 1997). At Freiburg University she was employed as a researcher in the early stages of the preparation of H. Rix, Sabellische Texte (Heidelberg 2002).

Federico Santangelo, who is currently undertaking research for a PhD in Ancient History at University College London. He is working on the Impact of Sulla on Italy and the Mediterranean World. With a BA in Classics from Bologna University, his research interests are the Roman Republic, Ancient Historiography, Pompei and Italic Epigraphy.

Gabriel Bodard, who has an MA in Ancient Literature and is completing a PhD in ancient Greek religion and magic; he also teaches Greek literature and language. He is also employed as a researcher by the Centre for Computing and the Humanities at King's College London, and is involved in developing the EpiDoc XML standards for digital epigraphy. He was formerly a research associate at the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae project in California, and is interested in issues relating to the encoding and mark-up of ancient inscriptions and papyri, and electronic resources for Classics more generally.