Ancient World Mapping Center

ANCIENT WORLD MAPPING CENTER

Through the generous support of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Departments of History and Classics, the National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant Program and foundation and private donors, the Center continues to mature, enhancing its capacity to assist scholars and students around the world with cartographic and geographic projects. What follows here is a brief summary of the year’s highlights.

The Center has secured the agreement of Princeton University to conduct an “audience test” of digital versions of maps prepared for the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. The test is intended to further our goal of producing a Digital Barrington Atlas. The Center will report its recommendation for this product to the Press and to the American Philological Association in the first part of 2005.

During the first quarter of 2004, the Center added twenty-eight new maps relating to central themes in Roman history to its “Maps for Students Map Room.” These maps are available for free download and free reproduction and redistribution for non-profit personal and educational reasons. The maps were prepared to accompany the new book by Mary T. Boatwright, Daniel J. Gargola and Richard J.A. Talbert, The Romans from Village to Empire, Oxford University Press, 2004 (ISBN: 0-19-511875-8).

Prof. Richard Talbert and Dr. Elliott have submitted a grant proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities to fund creation of the Pleiades Project: a functioning, international community of scholars, teachers, students and enthusiasts who will collaborate in updating the expansion of the spatial and historical reference information assembled by the Classical Atlas Project and taken over by the Center.

The Center’s impact in the Carolina classroom continues to expand. Prof. Talbert’s graduate seminar, co-taught with Prof. Grant Parker of Duke University, drew eleven motivated students from UNC-CH, Duke, UNC-Greensboro and North Carolina State University. Dr. Elliott’s undergraduate seminar on “Roman Roads and Land Travel” drew nine talented undergraduates, who were equally successful in their explorations of related questions, as well as the use of aerial photography and geographical information systems.

The coming year is critically important for the success of the Center’s endowment drive, part of the Carolina first campaign. $700,000 in contributions and pledges must be secured in order to an additional $175,000 in matching funds from the National Endowment from the Humanities. Success in reaching this goal will secure perpetual support for the position of Center director and for basic budget needs such as phone and postage.

Tom Elliott, Director