The InscriptiFact Collection is designed to allow access via the Internet to high-resolution images of ancient inscriptions and artifacts, primarily from the Near Eastern and Mediterranean Worlds. The targeted inscriptions constitute some of the world’s earliest written records, which are mostly housed in a number of international museums and libraries, as well as field projects where inscriptions still remain in situ. Included, for example, are, selected Dead Sea Scrolls; cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia, Persia, Canaan and Egypt; early Jewish papyri from Egypt; lapidary inscriptions, primarily from Jordan, Lebanon and Cyprus; inscriptions on a variety of hard media (e.g., ostraca, copper, semi-precious stones, jar handles) mostly written in early Canaanite, Phoenician, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ammonite and Edomite; and much more. These ancient texts are foundational documents that serve as a point of reference for Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the cultures out of which they emerged.
The name "InscriptiFact" is intended to convey the concept of a scholarly archive based on "facts" about "inscriptions" and "artifacts." West Semitic Research Project (WSRP) under the auspices of the University of Southern California (USC) is broadly acknowledged as a leader in the application of photographic and digital technologies to capture and analyze data of ancient texts. The West Semitic Research image archive now contains approximately 1,500,000 images.
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Guide to Searching InscriptiFact