Graffiti Gazetteer Image Catalogue

Image copyright: Griffith Institute Archive

In 2025, the SDS team supported the Graffiti Gazetteer pilot project, which was funded by the Digital Scholarship @ Oxford (DiSc) Research Development Grant scheme.

Graffiti Gazetteer aims to collate a groundbreaking database of text, images and rich metadata for ‘second epigraphy’, graffiti left in antiquity on the monuments of ancient Egypt, to provide a unique window on how both elite and non-elite people viewed and interacted with these monuments throughout ancient history.

This pilot project developed a process for converting selected sample data to a standardised format, integrating with the work of the FAIR Epigraphy framework, and investigated new ways of analysing these data.

A crucial element in all this was the development of a reliable, systematic and open-access digital research infrastructure. Working closely with the Graffiti Gazetteer team, the SDS service provided a key component in this infrastructure: a platform for storing and sharing the dataset, which is intended to grow and develop in future follow-up projects.

SDS provides an invaluable service to the Graffiti Gazetteer project, enabling access to a unique and underexplored collection of ancient graffiti. This material offers a fascinating glimpse into voices from the past — voices often overlooked in traditional sources — and broadens our understanding of the ancient world.

Thanks to the SDS platform, our project has been able to present visual data on these inscriptions in a fast, reliable, and user-friendly way. The SDS team has consistently demonstrated flexibility and responsiveness to our evolving needs, offering a level of tailored support that is exceptionally rare outside our University.

If you're looking for a robust platform to host and manage visual data for your project, SDS is an outstanding choice. It also includes a built-in data management plan, ensuring long-term sustainability and credibility for digital research initiatives.

Dr Hana Navratilova

Principal Investigator