Tea at Trianon: Treasures of Mt. Athos to be Digitized

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Treasures of Mt. Athos to be Digitized

From the Archaeological News Network:

As part of the project “Digital ark” the transformation of Mount Athos’ treasures into digital form will cost 8.5 million euros and its aim is to ensure their existence, even if the original prototypes ever get destroyed. The documents to be stored electronically include collections of handwritten ecclesiastic codes that are stored in the monasteries. Up until today, students and researchers interested in their study could only access the documents in person.

“Furthermore, the need to protect such sensitive material necessitates their electronic storage with the use of sophisticated technology,” Mr. Daskalakis underlines in his statement.

The project envisages the creation of eight access services to the digital archives of the monasteries, while for improved information and the accommodation of the public, a new portal will also be created along with the Holy Mountain Library and relevant documentaries. In detail, the archive will consist of 900,000 manuscripts, 450,000 printed documents, 550,000 historic archives of documents, 146,000 pieces of ecclesiastic art, 25,000 architectural sketches and 2,500 hours of video and sound documents. (Read more.)