Encoding Bronze Age 2026

Encoding the Bronze Age

Digital Approaches to Cypro-Aegean Epigraphy

Tuesday 8th September 2026, 10:30–17:00 BST

University of London, Institute of Classical Studies

Led by: Ester Salgarella, Gabriel Bodard, Federico Aurora

Register to attend in person or via Zoom (link)

Event description

This one-day workshop is dedicated to digital resources for the epigraphic and textual study of Bronze Age Cypro-Aegean scripts (2nd to 1st millennia BCE), with particular emphasis on the application of EpiDoc (Epigraphic Documents in TEI XML) text encoding as a foundation for the development of interoperable digital editions.

The workshop, taking place in hybrid format, welcomes academics (specialists and non-specialists alike), students, researchers, heritage professionals and anyone interested in ancient writing systems, epigraphy and digital approaches and technologies for the study of ancient inscriptions. Combining broader methodological discussions with practical demonstrations, it offers participants an opportunity to engage with current and forward-looking digital approaches, tools and projects within (and beyond) Cypro-Aegean epigraphy.

The morning session will introduce the main digital corpora of Cypro-Aegean inscriptions, alongside providing an accessible introduction to the EpiDoc encoding scheme and a short practical demonstration of how inscriptions can be digitally encoded in XML (no prior experience in digital epigraphy and/or text encoding is required to attend this session). Finally we will introduce the community working to align EpiDoc practice with Linear B and Linear A conventions.

The afternoon session will feature a series of short presentations showcasing current and emerging digital projects and tools in Cypro-Aegean epigraphy, while also drawing connections with developments in related fields of digital epigraphy and textual scholarship. These presentations will provide a springboard for a plenary discussion of the opportunities and challenges presented by digital formats, as well as the relationship between digital resources and print-based corpora.

Programme

• 10:30 Welcome
• 10:45 Workshop Introduction: EpiDoc and Cypro-Aegean scripts (Gabriel Bodard, Ester Salgarella, Federico Aurora)
  • Hands on: How to encode an inscription in EpiDoc
    • EpiDoc Quickreference (right-click and save as…)
    • Exercise EpiDoc file (IRT 33)
  • Overview of Linear A/B transcription guidelines and the Cypro-Aegean Epigraphy working group
• 12:10 Discussion and questions
• 12:30 LUNCH BREAK
• 14:00 Projects, Tools, Methods & Future Directions (‘flash intros’)
  • 1. Cypro-Aegean Resources
    • The makings of a Linear B corpus: The forthcoming edition of Linear B documents from Agios Vasileios (John Bennet & Vassilis Petrakis)
    • Linear B Digital Resources:
      • DĀMOS (Federico Aurora)
      • CaLiBRA & LiBER (Ester Salgarella on behalf of developers)
      • Ashmolean Museum Linear B tablets: RTI pictures; catalogue pictures (Andrew Shapland)
      • Pa-i-to Epigraphic Project (Alessandro Greco & Georgia Flouda)
      • Digital Imaging & Palace of Nestor IV (Dimitri Nakassis)
    • Linear A Digital Resources:
      • SigLA (Ester Salgarella)
      • INSCRIBE Project 3D Models (Barbara Montecchi)
    • Cypriot Scripts Digital Resources:
      • Cypro-Minoan & Cypro-Syllabic (IG XV) (Artemis Karnava)
      • Ongoing projects on Cypro-Minoan (Cassandra Donnelly)
    • Cretan Hieroglyphic (& Aegean Seals/Sealings) Digital Resources:
      • Arachne Database (instructions here) (Maria Anastasiadou)
  • 2. Beyond the Aegean
    • Resources for Hittite: TLHDig and eDiAna (Katharine Shields)
• 15:00 BIO BREAK
• 15:30 Plenary Discussion
  • Findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability of digital collections of Aegean texts.
  • Next steps.
• 16:30 Conclusions