Date: Thursday 15th January 2026. 16:00-17:30 GMT.

Convenors: Monica Berti (Leipzig University), Gabriel Bodard (University of London), Darcy Krasne (Columbia University), Chiara Palladino (Durham University), Polina Yordanova (University of Helsinki)

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/rSZtD4XdVdo

Slides: Combined slides (PDF)

This session serves as a general welcome to the spring 2026 SunoikisisDC semester on digital approaches to cultural heritage, and an introduction to digital humanities and computational approaches to the study of classics, antiquity and cultural heritage. We discuss disciplinary boundaries and intersections, touch on the history of digital methods and disciplines, and consider the contexts, biases and other choices that influence what is included (and what is not) in various introductions to the topic—including tables of contents of collected volumes, conference panels, and syllabuses such as those in the SunoikisisDC series itself.

• Crane, Gregory. 2004. "Classics and the Computer: An End of the History." In A Companion to Digital Humanities, eds. Schreibman, Siemens, Unsworth, pp. 46-55. Oxford: Blackwell. Available: https://companions.digitalhumanities.org/DH/?chapter=content/9781405103213_chapter_4.html
• Terras, Melissa. 2010. "The Digital Classicist: Disciplinary Focus and Interdisciplinary Vision." In Digital Research in the Study of Classical Antiquity, eds. Bodard, Mahony, pp. 171-189. Ashgate. Available: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/infostudies/melissa-terras/research/Chapter_10_Terras.pdf (Wayback Machine)

• Bodard, G. and Mahony, S., 2008. “‘Though much is taken, much abides’: Recovering antiquity through innovative digital methodologies: Introduction to the special issue.” Digital Medievalist 4. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/dm.17
• Brunner, Theodore F. 1993. “Classics and the Computer: The History of a Relationship.” In Accessing Antiquity, ed. Jon Solomon, pp. 10-33. Tucson: U. Arizona Press.
• Coffee, Neil & Neil W. Bernstein. 2016. “Digital Methods and Classical Studies.” Digital Humanities Quarterly 10.2. Available: https://dhq.digitalhumanities.org/vol/10/2/000253/000253.html
• Crane, Gregory, Brent Seales & Melissa Terras. 2009. “Cyberinfrastructure for Classical Philology.” Changing the Center of Gravity: Transforming Classical Studies Through Cyberinfrastructure. Digital Humanities Quarterly 3.1. Available: https://dhq.digitalhumanities.org/vol/3/1/000023/000023.html
• Palladino, Chiara and G. Bodard. 2023. “Introduction.” In: Palladino & Bodard (eds.), Can’t Touch This: Digital Approaches to Materiality in Cultural Heritage. Pp. 1–7. London: Ubiquity Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/bcv.a.
• Romanello, Matteo & G. Bodard. 2016. “Introduction.” In: Bodard & Romanello (eds.) Digital Classics Outside the Echo-Chamber: Teaching, Knowledge Exchange & Public Engagement. Pp. 1–11. London: Ubiquity Press. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/bat.a.

• Digital Classicist wiki categories (see for example Projects and Tools)
• SunoikisisDC syllabi
• Digital Classicist seminars
• Computer Applications in Archaeology SIGS
• CAA 2026 conference sessions
• European Association for Digital Humanities projects list
• UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association community interest groups
• Alliance of Digital Humanities Associations special interest groups
• Pelagios Network partners
• Digital Classical Philology (table of contents)

Starting from one of the lists of projects, tools, conference papers, chapters or other topics and resources in the Resources section above, or another similar list or table of contents that you find yourself, think about the coverage of this list of topics.

1. What does this tell us about the coverage of digital classics (or archaeology, cultural heritage, digital humanities)?
2. How comprehensive or representative is the list you have chosen to look at?
3. What are the limiting disciplinary or definitional terms that have driven the selection of this list? Within those constraints, how representative do you think the list feels?
4. What other biases or accidents might have affected the selection of topics on your list?
5. What tools, methods or areas of classics are you surprised to see missing from this list?
6. More generally, and after discussion with other students: Are there any areas, subdisciplines or sibling disciplines to classics that seem completely omitted from the lists you have seen and discussed?