Overview
WP1 is aimed at specialists in papyrology, advanced students to be trained in the field, library curators and conservation specialists, as well as, through dissemination events, at a wider interested public including high school students. It combines research, training, dissemination and networking, and includes a number of disciplines, especially papyrology, curating and preservation, digital humanities, philology, history, and (through new methodologies in papyrus analysis) chemistry and biology.
The specific focus of WP1 is the Wessely papyrus collection kept at NKP, of which only a small portion has been researched and published, and which urgently needs curatorial and conservation attention.
The main objectives are the same as in the case of the other WPs:
- O1 Cutting-edge interdisciplinary research into written cultural heritage. Exploring and applying new methods of preservation and analysis primarily to the Wessely papyrus collection. Meeting the challenges of researching fragmented material. Comparative interdisciplinary exploration.
- O2 Training for early career researchers. Providing a series of expert trainings in papyrology combined with digital humanities and curating.
- O3 Dissemination to wider audiences. Raising public awareness of the importance of cultural heritage in the form of papyrus fragments.
- O4 Networking, interconnections, international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Tasks
T1.1 Research and Preservation (O1, D5, D6)
Improving the preservation conditions of the Wessely papyri, based on consultation with experts in the field, who combine decades of experience in papyrological curation and digitization. PAMELA will bring the numerous existing methods up to date and create a joint report on and guidelines for the appropriate methodology to be applied in other institutions, too. Research on the collection leading to joint open access publications.
D5 Methodology report on new methods in preservation and research of papyri (OA, M48). The report will be an important joint effort, sharing experience and suggesting good practice, and pointing out pitfalls and obstacles. It will be ready by M21 (but the deadline of M48 was set in order to secure detailed feedback and revision in collaboration with project partners, and in case the peer review process before open access publication in a distinguished periodical takes much time – which is beyond control of the project participants). Some secondments leading to this output will take place in the same months as the second training. These will be supplemented by other secondments including to and from UOx and UHAM – experts in this field.
D6 Online papyri – digitization, edition, analysis + open access joint publications (OA, M48). Secondments leading to D1.6 will take place mostly in Prague, at the same months as the second training (D1.2), which will also focus on the subject of edition and analysis.
T1.2 Training (O2)
Planned are training schools in papyrology at NKP and training schools at Oxford focused on preservation and curating.
Early career researchers papyrus training I (NKP, M09) will offer a comprehensive introduction to both material and digital papyrology, with a dual focus on hands-on experience and digital methodologies. The material papyrology component will centre on familiarising participants with the Prague Wessely papyrus collection, providing direct engagement with original manuscripts and helping out with their preservation. The digital training will cover essential principles of cataloguing and annotation, introducing key platforms such as Papyri.info, Trismegistos, and other metadata tools. Particular emphasis will be placed on enhancing the representation of the Prague Wessely collection within these and other databases, especially manuscriptorium.com. Participants will engage in a structured combination of guided sessions and independent work, each working on an assigned papyrus to apply their newly acquired skills.
Early career researchers papyrus training II (ONB, M21) will focus on both traditional and digital critical editions, providing participants with hands-on experience in transcription, encoding, and the creation of (digital) editions of papyrological texts. The thematic emphasis will be on documentary texts reflecting everyday life, such as letters, contracts, and inventories. Additionally, part of the session will explore strategies for effectively disseminating insights from papyrological evidence on daily life to a broader audience.
Early career researchers papyrus training III (UHEI, M33) will introduce participants to both traditional and digital palaeography, with a particular focus on the Heroninos Archive. Attendees will engage in hands-on palaeographical work, comparing conventional methods with emerging digital approaches, including handwritten text recognition and machine learning techniques. A part of the session will explore strategies for disseminating insights from papyrological evidence on the Heroninos Archive to a broader audience.
Early career researchers papyrus training IV (UNIFI, M45) will focus on linguistic annotation and the study of late antique papyri. Participants will receive instruction in annotation tools and methodologies, with a thematic emphasis on religious, liturgical, and literary texts. Again, a part of the session will explore strategies for effectively disseminating insights from papyrological evidence on magic, Christian, medical, and scientific papyri to a broader audience.
Training in papyrus preservation and curatorship (UOx, UHEI, UNIFI, M48). Secondments primarily from CU and NKP to UOx, UHEI and UNIFI to receive training from local experts. Guests will also conduct independent preservation work and research on the spot.
T1.3 Dissemination (O3; D7)
Exhibition accompanied by workshops and lectures for wider public.
D7 Wessely papyrus collection exhibition (NKP, M45) will present a two-part exhibition dedicated to the Wessely papyrus collection. The first section will focus on the history of the collection and its acquisition by NKP. It will introduce Carl Wessely, founder of the originally private collection, his connections to the Austrian National Library in Vienna, and his Czech roots. The exhibition will also explore the role of Professor Hopfner, who inherited the collection and later sold its Greek and Latin portion to NKP. Furthermore, it will trace the research history of these materials, with particular attention to how PAMELA contributed to their study and preservation. The second section will explore the actual contents of the papyri. This part of the exhibition will introduce the wide range of texts preserved in the collection, illustrating what they reveal about everyday life, administrative practices, and medical knowledge of the first millennium in Egypt. The exhibition will be accompanied by a virtual exhibition as well as a printed catalogue.
Fulfilling objective O4 is part of every task (T1.1–3). For the roles of beneficiaries and associated partners, see the Deliverables.
Deliverables
- D1.1 – Data Management Plan
- D1.2 – Report on new methods in preservation and research of papyri
- D1.3 – Online papyri digitization, edition, analysis and open access joint publications
- D1.4 – Wessely papyrus collection exhibition