Interpreting culture and heritage through Digital Humanities
At Exeter we’re pioneering the use of digital technology in Humanities, advancing both research and public understanding. Advanced digital methods are enabling new questions to be asked and large volumes of data to be analysed. This opens up new ways of exploring and interpreting our culture and heritage and delivers wide-ranging research with lasting impact.
Here are just a few of the projects we’re working on.
The Exeter Manuscripts project
Devon is home to many important medieval manuscripts and cultural artefacts, such as the 10th-century ‘Exeter Book’, which contains the world’s largest collection of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) poetry. To help Devon to rediscover its written heritage, Exeter academics are working with technicians to produce an app that allows school children to discover the history of the places the manuscripts come from and the people who made and owned them.
South West writers
The Centre for Literature and Archives looks after a unique collection of materials relating to South West writers of note including Ted Hughes, Daphne du Maurier, Agatha Christie, Charles Causley and Henry Williamson. In consultation with rights holders and publishers, Exeter is beginning to make rare and fragile manuscripts digitally available, bringing the creativity of regional writers to new audiences.
Archaeology at Ipplepen
Working with the British Museum and Devon County Council, Exeter experts and students have used techniques such as 3D scanning to archive and catalogue objects unearthed from this Devon site. The dig is remarkable in that both metal detecting and excavations have produced an unusually large amount of material, suggesting that the site may be more than just a typical rural community.