[MES Forum] (Correction) Sept. 12th and 13th Online Corpus of Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia (OCIANA) 2.0

[McClimans, Melinda]

Dear ME Forum,

It’s come to my attention that the Instagram square had the dates wrong. The corrected square is attached. So sorry for the mistake!

Sincerely,

Melinda

Join us for the OCIANA 2.0 Launch Workshop to explore the Online Corpus of Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia. Discover the latest updates and advancements in ancient inscription research focused on Arabia. On September 12th and 13th (2:00pm to 5:00pm each day) this two-day workshop will delve into OCIANA 2.0. Register at go.osu.edu/digital-arabia<http://go.osu.edu/digital-arabia>

OCIANA 2.0 is part of the Digital Arabia project led by Ahmad Al-Jallad<https://nesa.osu.edu/people/al-jallad.1> and James Moore<https://nesa.osu.edu/people/moore.5089> and will serve as the main international database for the epigraphy of Arabia, extending from Najrān to the Syrian frontier. The project will support the establishment of this digital resource at OSU of 50,000 records and will add 10,000 additional inscriptions. A delegation of government officials from Oman, Jordan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, will visit Ohio State to inaugurate the new asset and participate in the workshop.

The workshop, led by Michael Macdonald, Ahmad Al-Jallad, and James D. Moore, will delve into OCIANA's redesigned version 2.0. The database’s latest update will include new features and additional inscriptions that greatly enhance access to Arabia's pre-Islamic past. The conference will unite digital humanities experts to explore the use of digital tools in studying and disseminating Arabia's ancient heritage. The confirmed program of speakers include:

- Michael C.A. Macdonald (Keynote), Oxford University
- Laïla Nehmé, CNRS
- Alessia Prioletta, CNRS
- Ali al-Manaser, Hashemite University, Jordan
- Fokelien Kootstra, University of Ghent
- Jerome Norris, University of Ghent
- Along with Ohio State's Ahmad Al-Jallad and James D. Moore.

The Arabian Peninsula, central to the Middle East, has always been of strategic and commercial significance. Knowledge of its ancient history largely originates from external observers like the Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, or much later reports from the so-called "Age of Ignorance". While the rest of the Middle East has seen extensive archaeological exploration over 150 years, Arabia remains relatively unexplored. Since 1858, scholars have documented around 70,000 Ancient North Arabian inscriptions across Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Arabian Gulf, though these findings are dispersed across numerous publications and languages, making them difficult to access.

Started in 2015 by Oxford University, the Online Corpus of Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia (OCIANA) seeks to consolidate our understanding of ancient Arabia by creating a digital corpus of all known pre-Islamic inscriptions from North and Central Arabia. It offers translations, references, commentaries, bibliographies, and details about each inscription's provenance and technique, Photographs and facsimiles will eventually be available for free download.

Project and event sponsors include:

  *   Department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures
  *   Middle East Studies Center
  *   Digital Laboratory for the Study of Ancient Textual Documents
  *   The Translational Data Analytics Institute<https://tdai.osu.edu/about-tdai> (TDAI)
  *   Start-up funding from OSU Global Arts and Humanities Larger Grants Program


Register to save your seat at go.osu.edu/digital-arabia<http://go.osu.edu/digital-arabia> Feel free to share the attached flyer and graphics with your colleagues and students. Space is limited!



Thank you!



Best wishes,



Melinda



Melinda McClimans, PhD
Assistant Director

The Ohio State University
Office of International Affairs
Middle East Studies Center
145D Enarson Classroom Building
2009 Millikin Rd, Columbus, OH 43210
614-292-6506 Office / 614-974-4331 Mobile
mcclimans.2 at osu.edu<mailto:mcclimans.2 at osu.edu> / mesc.osu.edu.osu.edu<http://mesc.osu.edu.osu.edu/>

Pronouns: she/her




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