APAC Labs at the International Conference ‘La lettera e il leone. Contextualising Epigraphic Landscapes across the Venetian Stato da mar'

APAC Labs participates at the international conference, La Lettera e il Leone Contextualizing: Epigraphic Landscapes across at Ateneo Veneto and Ca' Foscari University of Venice. The event will feature scholars from various European countries, including Italy, Cyprus, Greece, France, England, and Scotland, along with specialists in history, epigraphy, palaeography, and architectural history affiliated with Ca' Foscari University of Venice.

The Conference will be held under the prestigious patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Nicosia (Cyprus) and of the Hellenic Institute for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies and is realized with the contribution of the Veneto Region pursuant to the Regional Law no. 39/2019.
About the project: The project intends to analyze the Venetian epigraphic culture in Cyprus (1474-1571), with particular reference to the public sphere. The so-called 'exposed writings’ occupy a crucial role in the urban fabric of the two main cities of the island, Nicosia and Famagusta, where they are located along the imposing sixteenth-century walls, on the fortifications, on the remains of public buildings and other monuments functional to the exhibition of power. Their position, combined with new writing models, well represents the communication strategy implemented by the authorities of the Serenissima, thanks also to the use of symbols widely spread in the territories of the Stato da Mar. The central element of the project will be the analysis of the epigraphic material using a holistic approach, which takes into account the material, historical-political and socio-cultural aspects connected to writing and scripts.

About the platform: The IT-related research led to a collaboration with the Cyprus Institute, the project's technology partner. In line with European policies on open science, the main output is an online resource (https://venetianinscriptions.cyi.ac.cy) that serves as the first European Open Access platform dedicated to Venetian Renaissance epigraphy. This innovative tool allows for the visualisation of a georeferenced map of the locations of the inscriptions, along with digital cataloguing and, where possible, 3D reproduction of the monuments and sites where they are located. This spatial approach aims to enhance our understanding of the communication strategies employed by the Serenissima to assert its presence and identity on the island. In the future, the resource could be expanded to include data from other territories that were part of the Venetian Republic, as well as from Venice itself.

The inscription at the entrance to Famagusta's citadel, also known as 'Othello Castle,' is a very significant example. Its text commemorates Nicolò Foscarini, a Venetian nobleman who served as Captain in Famagusta from 1491 to 1493. In his role, with the support of two Venetian councillors, he had civil and military jurisdiction over the entire eastern part of Cyprus. This inscription reflects the influence of the Venetian epigraphic model, combining formal precision with elements of the classical tradition. Such monuments, along with the iconography of the crowned lion of St. Mark (symbol of the Kingdom of Cyprus), held strong symbolic value and solidified the authority of the Serenissima, establishing a new cultural order in contrast to previous rulers.

The full programme can be found here.