Mapping Mediterranean Lands -- MedMaps Project

"Traders and Travellers, Scholars, Soldiers, and Sailors: Charting in War and Peace"

Overall Project Summary

As part of the Digital Library for International Research, under the aegis of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, "Mapping Mediterranean Lands" sought to identify, catalog, conserve, and make electronically accessible important early maps and unique or rare maps from archaeological excavation and exploration that were held in the collections of American overseas research centers around the Mediterranean Sea. The multi-phase project resulted in fully searchable catalog records of over 4,000 single maps and maps in books through the DLIR online catalog, an online exhibition enriched with selected digitized images and curatorial notes, and lesson plans and resources for teachers of grades 4-12. Although the full catalog records have been loaded to the DLIR catalog, we also chose to present the brief working inventories exerpted from the original databases for ease of browsing the collection at a participating center.

Overall Project Goals

A complete survey of the collections at participating American overseas research centers was conducted by cartographer Leonora Navari during 2003-2005. Ms. Navari reviewed each collection for maps of historical and research value, trained the center's personnel to collect the data, assessed general preservation needs, and counseled on access requirements. Centers took this opportunity to better organize their collections and to improve storage conditions. The participating centers are listed below.

• American Academy in Rome (AAR)
• American Center of Oriental Research (Amman) (ACOR)
• W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research (Jerusalem) (AIAR)
• American Institute for Maghrib Studies (Tunis) (CEMAT)
• American Institute for Maghrib Studies (Tangier) (TALM)
• American Research Center in Egypt (Cairo) (ARCE)
• American Research Institute in Turkey (Istanbul)(ARIT-I)
• American Research Institute in Turkey (Ankara) (ARIT-A)
• American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library (ASCSA-G)
• Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (Nicosia) (CAARI)

Phase 1 Goals

The Council of American Overseas Research Centers envisioned the full access to the maps at the Mediterranean area centers to be a multi-stage process. Phase I, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State, Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA), was completed in 2006.

Phase I deliverables included:

• Construction of a Microsoft Access database for the inventory;
• An inventory of the cartographic holdings from the eight participating centers;
• An assessment of related materials at the centers;
• Digitization of selected maps;
• Creation of a web-based exhibition introducing the project and its materials; and
• Creation of teacher resources targeted to primary, middle and high school education.

Future phases include 1) utilizing the notes from the inventories and catalog records to create and implement a preservation plan, and 2) implementing a full-scale digitization project for online access to the maps at these centers.

Phase I Project Participants

Project Directors

• Dr. Mary Ellen Lane, Executive Director, The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC)
• Dr. Catherine de G. Vanderpool, Executive Vice President, The American School of Classical Studies at Athens; Chair, CAORC

Project Consultants

• Dr. Ria Ellis, Executive Director, The American Institute for Yemeni Studies
• Dr. David Magier, Director of Area Studies, Columbia University Libraries
• Mr. Thor Kuniholm, Overseas Director, The American Institute of Maghrib Studies, Tangier American Legation Museum
• Dr. Gerald A. Danzer, Professor [Emeritus], Department of History, University of Illinois at Chicago.
• Ms. Wendy Ennes, Teacher Services and e-Learning Coordinator, The Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago

Project Team

• Ms. Leonora Navari, Head Cartographer
• Dr. Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan, Head Archivist of the Gennadius and Blegen Libraries, American School of Classical Studies at Athens
• Dr. Alexis Malliaris, Special Research Archivist, the Gennadius Library
• Ms. Diane Ryan, DLIR Project Coordinator

Last updated: June 29, 2007

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