A geospatial contextualization of archaic Greek epigram on Thasos

This project explores the avenues by which contemporary scholars encounter Archaic Greek inscribed text. It is proposed that the standard method of recording and presenting information on this topic has played a critical part in creating voids within epigraphic scholarship, namely through a disassociation of the text from its spatial and monumental properties. Analysis of ancient accounts of epigraphic interaction highlights an experience that was much more nuanced than can be replicated through traditional philological or archaeological examination and interpretation, and one that emphasizes the spatial and contextual relationships of these inscriptions to one another. Therefore, modern epigraphic scholarship would be strengthened through the implementation of a geospatial contextualization and novel presentation. To support these claims, a case study for the geospatial contextualization of archaic Greek epigram is presented in this thesis. All extant and recorded instances of Archaic epigram on the Greek isle of Thasos are documented both spatially and visually, regardless of their present location. A methodology is proposed for the identification of potential original loci of placement for these monuments. This information is collated in a GIS and exhibited through a series of interactive maps and photogrammetric reconstructions of the original depositions of these inscriptions, all of which are displayed through a fully searchable database. This method allows for the analysis of any observable patterns in the spatial placement of grave and dedicatory inscriptions, uncovering aspects of archaic epigraphy that have been neglected in traditional scholastic examinations.