The Ancient Graffiti Project

Abstract

is paper discusses how the Ancient Gra ti Project publishes the digital content of ancient epigraphic material and makes handwritten inscriptions from the rst century AD more accessible through the use of geo-referenced, spatial interfaces, interlinked and expanded reference data, and innovative tools that enhance searching. Ancient gra ti are texts, but they are texts that exist within a physical environment. We have designed the Ancient Gra ti Project (AGP) to provide a richer understanding of these handwri en inscriptions from the rst century AD in their archaeological context. Interactive maps allow a user to retrieve and analyze all the gra ti in a particular location. ese and other tools, from lters that re ne searches to brief descriptions and translations to explain the content of these writings, have been designed to reach multiple audiences, including scholars, students, and interested members of the public. We discuss how we have designed AGP from its inception to be integrated within and interoperable with the Epigraphic Database Roma. e spatial and physical context of gra ti also allows us to link with other spatially oriented digital projects on the ancient world, including the ancient gaze eer Pleiades.