DEVA (Digital Epigraphy & Visualization at the Athenian Agora) is a new project. We’re researching ancient texts in Athens with innovative 3D methods. The project has been scanning dozens of difficult-to-read inscriptions and clarifying the readings of damaged areas of text.
WHAT IS DIGITAL EPIGRAPHY?
Epigraphy is a centuries-old academic discipline aimed at the interpretation of ancient texts carved in stone or preserved in other media. Ancient Athenians were prolific stone-carvers, not just of epitaphs on tombstones and building dedications, but also of laws, honours, and financial records set up on marble slabs in the civic centre of the Agora. Thousands of ancient inscriptions have ended up in the Agora storerooms, but many are badly damaged and weathered, which makes them challenging to read. DEVA is developing cutting-edge imaging techniques for special stones where improving the reading could change our understanding of Athenian history.
DEVA photography in the Agora storerooms
CASE STUDIES
Victors of the Panathenaic Games
It’s not just Olympia: Athens held athletic contests every four years, recording the victors on marble slabs like this one
A Silver Law in Ancient Athens
So, you just arrived in ancient Athens and need to exchange some of your silver coins for the local currency. What happens next?
