DataBases about Aegean Subjects

DataBases about Aegean Subjects (DBAS)

The DBAS project, the acronym of “Data Bases about Aegean Subjects”, starts in 2005 as a complex research tool for the study of specific themes, regarding the Aegean and the East Mediterranean areas in the pre-classical period, from the idea that a complete statistical analysis of the data of interest could be highly beneficial. Promoted by the University of Florence, this project has contributions by historians, philologists, archaeologists and computer scientists, both from the University of Florence and other Institutions. DBAS is a new kind of on-line consultation tool, a scientific portal organized in three main sections: Data bases for advanced research on specific topics, Bibliographic data bases, Tools and other implements for general research and for educational purposes.
The overall architecture of the web site where the project is hosted shows the merging in a joint system of a number of general features including:

• Linking of different data/sets:
  archaeological, iconographical, philological data and other records on selected topics will come together in dedicated data bases.
• Linking of different data bases:
  data bases on close or related matters will be combined to allow for search of chronological, geographical or thematic correlations. To further enlarge the perspective, the data bases will be connected to additional resources available at the site, like downloadable fonts, selected thematic bibliographies, photo galleries, etc...
• Linking to different web-sites:
  the DBAS structure will ensure, with appropriate tools, the connection to other web-sites offering different materials related to the main research themes developed in this project. This is a particularly relevant feature making DBAS an open structure not only to enlarge its records but mainly to involve other scholars and to improve the scientific quality of the available data.

The DBAS starts with:

• DBAS – CHS:  Cretan Hieroglyphic seals and seal impressions of Middle Minoan Glyptic
  A.M. Jasink, L. Bombardieri,
  F. Carminati, C. Faralli (technical support)
  This data base is a digital study of the wide corpus of Creatan Hieroglyphic Glyptic of the Middle Minoan period, dedicated to the interaction patterns between writing signs and iconographic symbols.
• DBAS – ACF:  The National Archaeological Museum of Florence: a Digital Archive for the Aegean Collections
  A.M. Jasink, L. Bombardieri,
  C. Faralli (technical support)
  On-line Catalogue of Aegean Collections of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze, in collaboration with Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana-Museo Archeologico Nazionale

The forthcoming databases are

• DBAS – AQ:  The Ahhiyawa Question
  M. Marino
  The aim of this project is to offer a complete searching tool for an analysis of all the matters related to the wide question of the Ahhiyawa land, through the evaluation of the most relevant bibliography on this topic as well as the original written sources about it. The data base will make possible also the direct reference to the texts where Ahhiya or Ahhiyawa is mentioned, offering all the texts (in PDF format) both in transliteration (or transliterations, where there is more than one version) and in original cuneiform.
• DBAS – TWC:  Textile work areas in Bronze Age Crete
  Archaeological indicators, typology and interpretation M.E. Alberti
  This data base has been built to give a preliminary picture of the relevant characteristics of textile work areas in Minoan Crete, especially during the Neopalatial period. Aim of the work is to propose a preliminary typological and functional classification of the included contexts and a first differentiation among various scales of production. Such a work will be extended to the Mycenaean period, including a comparison with the Linear B evidence.
• DBAS – MAE:  Mycenaeans and Amarnian Egypt: A Database of Mycenaean pottery found in Amarna Age Egypt
  B. Torrini,
  C. Faralli (technical support)
  The aim of this work is to shed light on the topic of the contacts between Mycenaeans and Egypt during the so-called Amarna Age, by analyzing a class of archaeological records as a whole. Practically, this leads to an on-line collection of pottery of Mycenaean style (Late Helladic III A2-IIIB) found on Egyptian land. Most of these objects entered Egypt in a time span of approximately 30 years, while the country was under the rule of Pharaoh Akhenaten, and under his immediate debated successions.
• DBAS – MID:  Mycenaean Insignia Dignitatis
  F. Gonzato
  For the study of the symbols of power in Mycenaean world, a data processing support becomes essential in order to collect, sort out and analyze all the evidence. The data base gathers the Insignia Dignitatis coming from funerary contexts from MH III to LH II (with a future extension to the later periods) examined especially in their reciprocal relation.

The DBAS web page offers, moreover, further supports for Aegean studies:

• Selected Bibliographies on specific themes and subjects:
1. A bibliography on Cretan Hieroglyphic Glyptic (linked to DBAS - CHS).
2. A bibliography on The question of Ahhiyawa (M. Marino) (linked to DBAS - AQ).
• News and Information about forthcoming Congresses, Conferences, Schools and other Meetings.
• Bibliographical Newsletter
• Links to other related web sites.
• Downloadable tools (5 new fonts are already on-line).
• Educational tools based on the UE directives on e-learning.

See the full List of Open Access Journals in Ancient Studies.