McGregor Squeeze Collection Digitization

McGregor Squeeze Collection Digitization

The McGregor Squeeze Collection consists of over 1000 epigraphic squeezes of Greek inscriptions currently held by the Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies (CNERS) [University of British Columbia].  An epigraphic squeeze is a filter paper impression of an inscription, which provides a precise copy of the incised letters on the original; this makes them a valuable tool for research when students and scholars cannot access the original materials stored in museums.

The McGregor Squeeze Collection was donated by Dr. Malcolm McGregor, a former professor and department chair in the CNERS Department.  These squeezes mainly represent inscriptions from Athens and the surrounding area of Attica from the 5th century BCE, as well as some inscriptions from Nemea in the same time period.  The most notable squeezes held by the department represent the Athenian Tribute Lists, which were the main focus of Dr. McGregor’s work for many years.  The originals of most of the squeezes in the McGregor Squeeze Collection are held in the Epigraphic Museum in Athens, Greece.  The collection also includes epigraphic charts, research tools which are drawings of reconstructions of the Athenian Tribute Lists based on the stone fragments.

The digitization of the McGregor Squeeze Collection is currently being carried out by Digital Initiatives together with From Stone to Screen, a CNERS graduate student-led initiative to digitize the department’s material collections, and funded by a grant from UBC’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund.  The process of digitizing these hundreds of squeezes is on-going, so new images and information are added regularly.  You can read more about the ongoing status of the project on its blog: www.fromstonetoscreen.wordpress.com.