DATA:

The aim of the SeLECT project is to develop a web-based cartographic tool that provides information on ancient European cultures and languages before the Roman and Greek expansion (the SeLECT Atlas). The tool is an online GIS application and is mainly based on geographical, historical, and archaeological data provided by the scientific partners of the project.

The data is stored in a FileMaker database, which contains ca. 30.000 records to date. These records are organised in 41 different sub-databases representing the datasets submitted by the scientific partners. These data have been and are still being normalised by the FEF.

The database contains information on places (normalised for European municipalities), chronology (normalised for centuries from 1000 b.C. until 300 a.C.), languages (such as Celtiberian, Raetic, or Oscan), archaeological data (such as a typology of objects or sites), writing systems (e.g., Greek, Latin, Phoenician, or Etruscan script) and writing directions (or ductus, e.g., left to right, right to left, boustrophedon, etc.).

The data can be exported from the database (e.g., as a CSV file) and then imported as data points into cartographic software. This allows not only the development of a web-based mapping tool, but also the creation of thousands of individual maps on archaeological cultures, languages, writing systems and writing direction in different time periods (centuries) and geographical areas. These maps can be used together with the web-based SeLECT atlas for scientific and educational purposes.

Overview over the SeLECT DB and its contents:

• The dataset “Archaic Latin” contains 194 records of inscriptions of an archaic form of Latin.

• The subsets “Balkans” and “Balkan identities” contain 88 records of archaeological findings and inscriptions of the ancient cultures in South-Eastern Europe, such as Thracian, Ancient Macedonian, Illyrian, and Dacian.

• The subset “Basilicata facies” contains 231 records of archaeological cultures in the Basilicata region such as Enotrian, Greek, or Lucanian.

• The 281 records in the collection “Calabria” contain data of Oenotrian, Greek, Siculian, Lucanian, and Brettian facies.

• The subset “Camuno” consists of 230 records containing information about inscriptions in Camunic, Celtic, Raetic and Latin.

• The “Cecas” dataset contains 130 records of mints located in the Iberian Peninsula.

• The subset “Cisalpine Celtic” contains 386 records of Celtic inscriptions in found and located in Northern Italy.

• The dataset “Coins” contains 103 records of Etruscan, Sabellian, and Cisalpine Celtic coins found in the Appenine Peninsula.

• The “Facies Gaule” dataset consists of 383 records of archaeological sites from Celtic Gallia.

• In the dataset “Falisco”, 430 records of Faliscan, Sabellic, and Latin inscriptions can be found.

• The subset “Golasecca” contains 64 records of the Golasecca culture in Northern Italy.

• The database “Hesperia” is the second largest subset in DB Select. It includes 3908 records from the Iberian Peninsula and refers to ancient inscriptions in Celtiberian, Iberian, and Tartessian, as well as in Greek and Phoenician.

• The subset “MLM” consists of 620 records of Messapic inscriptions in Apulia. It is based on the work Monumentae Linguae Messapica (MLM, edited by Marchesini and de Simone 2002).

• The data in “MLR” is based on the publication Monumentae Linguae Raeticae (edited by Marchesini and Roncador 2015) and contains 367 records of Raetic inscriptions.

• The 320 records of the subset “Phoenician Inscriptions IP” refer to inscriptions in Phoenician language found in the Iberian Peninsula.

• The “Puglia Facies” dataset contains 387 records of archaeological cultures in Apulia, e.g., Iapigian or Daunian.

• The dataset “Punic” contains 136 records of Phoenician inscriptions from Sardegna and Sicily.

• The “RIIG” inscriptions come from the online database Recueil informatisé des inscriptions gauloises (RIIG, https://riig.huma-num.fr/). It contains 429 Gaulish inscriptions in Greek and Latin script.

• In the dataset “Sabellian languages”, 950 records of (mainly) Umbrian, Oscan, Faliscan, and Sabine inscriptions are contained.

• The database “Santuarios” contains 58 records of sanctuaries and mints in the Iberian Peninsula.

• The dataset “Sicily2” consists of 148 inscriptions from Ancient Sicily in Elymian, Siculian, and Sicanian language.

• The “Palaeohispanic Inscriptions” contain 154 Iberian and Tartessian inscriptions coming from the Iberian Peninsula.

• The dataset “Venetico” includes 436 records of Venetic inscriptions.

• The dataset “Magna Graecia” consists of 40 records of Greek and Phoenician inscriptions in Southern Italy.

• The database “Etruskische Texte” is the largest data set in the database. It is based on the publication Etruskische Texte by Rix and Meiser (1991) and contains 9751 Etruscan inscriptions.

• The dataset “Liguria” includes 112 records of archaeological facies in Liguria.

• The dataset “Italia La Tène” contains 440 records of archaeological facies in the Appenine Peninsula mostly from the La Tène culture.

• The subset “Golasecca Facies” consists of 64 records of archaeological facies of the Golasecca culture.

• The 140 records in the “Raetia Facies” dataset refer to archaeological sites of the Laugen-Melaun culture and the Fritzens-Sanzeno (or Raetian) culture.

• The 149 records of “Celtiberian Facies” refer to archaeological facies of the Celtiberian culture in the Iberian Peninsula.

• The subset “Facies Etruria e Lazio” contains 253 records of archaeological sites in ancient Etruria and Latium.

• The dataset “Italia facies Veneto” includes 360 records of archaeological facies in the Veneto area such as Venetic, Fritzens-Sanzeno, or Roman Celtic.

• The dataset “Italia Fenicio Punico” contains 136 records of Phoenician inscriptions in Sicily, Sardegna, and the Apennine Peninsula.

• The subset “Post-MLM” contains 116 records of Messapic inscriptions in Apulia, which were found and catalogued after the publication of Monumentae Linguae Messapica.

• The subset “Tabulae Iguvinae” contains the 11 records of the Iguvine Tablets in Umbrian language.

• The “Siti Emilia Romagna” dataset includes 219 records of archaeological facies in the Emilia Romagna region.

EXAMPLES:

Besides preparing the SeLECT DB, FEF produces sample maps and new GIS base map files connected with databases populated by the provided data. The maps you find in [insert exact location] have been realised by QGIS desktop and several plug-ins. The data on which they are based come from the SeLECT DB, but they may contain fields which are not part of the online SeLECT atlas. Moreover, the database allows us to calculate different kinds of statistics, the results of which can be used to create four kinds of maps: sub-descriptive, descriptive, analytic, and synthetic maps.

Descriptive maps are the primary representation of the original data, positioned on a general map without any further analysis. Sub-descriptive maps are created by integrating additional data, such as previously published scientific literature, images, and multimedia elements, into the descriptive maps. Analytic maps involve the analysis and classification of data, representing it in an ordered and structured way using dots, lines, and areas. Finally, synthetic maps combine data from different sources and analyses and point out correlations and connections among distinct phenomena, letting new configurations emerge.

The SeLECT project utilizes various cartographic techniques, such as location maps, choropleth maps, proportional circle maps, coloured proportional circle maps, heat maps, and grid maps. Location maps provide descriptive information about specific locations using symbols and geometric shapes. Choropleth maps are used to represent nominal and numerical variables through colours. Proportional circle maps represent absolute values. Coloured proportional circle maps combine different colours for each attribute of the same variable, but readability decreases with an increased number of attributes. Heat maps use colour to show the magnitude of a phenomenon in two dimensions based on punctual information, making them useful for discontinuous elements. Grid maps use a regular grid to divide the territory and are useful for analysing fragmented and inhomogeneous data. Each map is accompanied by a title, scale, legend, framing, and toponymy to enhance readability and clarity.

An overview of available sample maps can be found at: map_library