SCANNING THE PAST - A MODERN APPROACH TO ANCIENT-CULTURE

The University of Michigan owns one of the largest collections of anci ent papyri. In 1991 a project was initiated to explore image capture o f papyri in the Michigan collection with the use of electronic media ( scanners), and to create a detailed online catalog with information re levant for all those involved in the study and research of the ancient Mediterranean world. In the summer of 1994, the Michigan papyrus coll ection underwent an extensive period of testing alternative media for image capture, as well as better, faster, and more efficient hardware and software. The collection created its own home page on the World Wi de Web and made available sample images as a means of soliciting comme nts from the experts in the field of papyrology, The papyrus collectio n at Duke University has also launched a project similar to that envis ioned by Michigan in 1991; and that project is now approaching complet ion. Further developments in the past two years have brought together the five largest papyrus collections in the United States to form a co nsortium known as the Advanced Papyrological Information System (APIS) , which operates under the guidance of the American Society of Papyrol ogists (ASP).