Papers by Marzia D'Angelo
Proceedings of the 1st Workshop on Machine Learning for Ancient Languages (ML4AL 2024), 2024
In this paper we present a deep learning pipeline for automatically dating ancient Greek papyrus ... more In this paper we present a deep learning pipeline for automatically dating ancient Greek papyrus fragments based solely on fragment images. The overall pipeline consists of several stages, including handwritten text recognition (HTR) to detect and classify characters, filtering and grouping of detected characters, 24 character-level date prediction models, and a fragment-level date prediction model that utilizes the per-character predictions. A new dataset (containing approximately 7,000 fragment images and 778,000 character images) was created by scraping papyrus databases, extracting fragment images with known dates, and running them through our HTR models to obtain labeled character images. Transfer learning was then used to fine-tune separate ResNets to predict dates for individual characters which are then used, in aggregate, to train the fragment-level date prediction model. Experiments show that even though the average accuracies of character-level dating models is low, between 35%-45%, the fragment-level model can achieve up to 79% accuracy in predicting a broad, two-century date range for fragments with many characters. We then discuss the limitations of this approach and outline future work to improve temporal resolution and further testing on additional papyri. This image-based deep learning approach has great potential to assist scholars in the palaeographical analysis and dating of ancient Greek manuscripts.
Trends in Classics
Greek lexicography is in a state of constant evolution thanks to progress in philological studies... more Greek lexicography is in a state of constant evolution thanks to progress in philological studies and, in a special way, to the contribution offered by papyri, which frequently provides us with new words or new meanings of already known words. In this regard, the online, freely consultable database WiP – Words in Progress. Supplementary Lexicon of Ancient Greek aims to collect new or rare words and detail corrections and additions in order to record recent progress in the updating and expansion of Ancient and Byzantine Greek. This contribution aims to describe how the database works, and what advantages it offers compared to traditional dictionaries, with a particular focus on the contribution that Greek documentary papyri offer to Greek lexicography.
È indetto un bando per l'ammissione al primo training workshop "RECREATE-Hands on Reconstruction"... more È indetto un bando per l'ammissione al primo training workshop "RECREATE-Hands on Reconstruction", che si terrà dall'11 al 14 giugno 2024 presso il Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell'Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, in collaborazione con il Centro Internazionale per lo Studio dei Papiri Ercolanesi 'Marcello Gigante'.
A call for applications is now open for the first training workshop “RECREATE - Hands on Reconstruction”, to be held from 11th to 14th June 2024 at the Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici of the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, in collaboration with the Centro Internazionale per lo Studio dei Papiri Ercolanesi ‘Marcello Gigante’.
«Cronache Ercolanesi» 53/2023, pp. 171-174, 2023
In this paper we intend to revisit the subscriptio of the PΗerc. 89/1301/1383 briefly to suggest ... more In this paper we intend to revisit the subscriptio of the PΗerc. 89/1301/1383 briefly to suggest a new reconstruction of the central lines based on a comparison with the subscriptio of PHerc. 1471 (Philodemus, On Frank Criticism) and a passage from Galen.
«Papyrologica Lupiensia» 30-31/2022, pp. 91-105, 2022
This paper focuses on PHerc 330 and 332, two unpublished papyri of the Herculaneum collection wri... more This paper focuses on PHerc 330 and 332, two unpublished papyri of the Herculaneum collection written by the same hand. Basing on paleographical, bibliological, and content elements, I propose that they respectively preserve the inner and the external part of the same roll. Such a new roll is of particular interest for some bibliological features, especially for its lower height than the standard documented in the Herculaneum bookrolls and for the presence of a wide initial agraphon.
Trends in Classics, 2023
Greek lexicography is in a state of constant evolution thanks to progress in philological studies... more Greek lexicography is in a state of constant evolution thanks to progress in philological studies and, in a special way, to the contribution offered by papyri, which frequently provides us with new words or new meanings of already known words. In this regard, the online, freely consultable database WiP – Words in Progress. Supplementary Lexicon of Ancient Greek aims to collect new or rare words and detail corrections and additions in order to record recent progress in the updating and expansion of Ancient and Byzantine Greek. This contribution aims to describe how the database works, and what advantages it offers compared to traditional dictionaries, with a particular focus on the contribution that Greek documentary papyri offer to Greek lexicography.
«Cronache Ercolanesi» 52/2022, pp. 331-339, 2022
This paper focuses on the paleography of some papyri of the Herculaneum collection. It is divided... more This paper focuses on the paleography of some papyri of the Herculaneum collection. It is divided into three sections. The first provides an overview on the so-called Anonimo IV, showing that the papyri referred to this scribe have in fact different graphical features. The second discusses PHerc. 1126: this roll is written by the same hand which copied PHerc. 89/1301/1383, but belongs to a different scroll. The third provides a short overview of the papyri written by the scribe Anonimo XXXI.
Proceedings of the Thirty-First International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 2022
Character recognition models rely substantially on image datasets that maintain a balance of clas... more Character recognition models rely substantially on image datasets that maintain a balance of class samples. However, achieving a balance of classes is particularly challenging for ancient manuscript contexts as character instances may be significantly limited. In this paper, we present findings from a study that assess the efficacy of using synthetically generated character instances to augment an existing dataset of ancient Greek character images for use in machine learning models. We complement our model exploration by engaging professional papyrologists to better understand the practical opportunities afforded by synthetic instances. Our results suggest that synthetic instances improve model performance for limited character classes, and may have unexplored effects on character classes more generally. We also find that trained papyrologists are unable to distinguish between synthetic and non-synthetic images and regard synthetic instances as valuable assets for professional and educational contexts. We conclude by discussing the practical implications of our research.
Comunicazioni dell'Istituto Papirologico G. Vitelli, 2022
Aegyptus. Rivista italiana di egittologia e di papirologia, 2021
La rivista è disponibile anche su desktop, tablet e smartphone Sul sito http://aegyptus.vitaepens... more La rivista è disponibile anche su desktop, tablet e smartphone Sul sito http://aegyptus.vitaepensiero.it Articoli full text, Nuove uscite e Archivio digitale Informazioni e Abbonamenti La rivista è in Fascia A Anvur in tre settori concorsuali AEGYPTUS
Proceedings of the 29 th International Congress of Papyrology Lecce, 28th July - 3rd August 2019, 2022
P.Herc. 89 and 1383 (Philodemus, Opus incertum) are parts of an unpublished Herculaneum roll brok... more P.Herc. 89 and 1383 (Philodemus, Opus incertum) are parts of an unpublished Herculaneum roll broken roughly in the middle; the upper and the lower portions, separately inventoried and stored, have been recently joined. In this article, I propose to attribute the scorza numbered P.Herc. 1301, which preserves the lower exterior part of a roll, to the roll of P.Herc. 89/1383. The attribution is based on paleographical, bibliological and textual data.
Fragmented Memory Omission, Selection, and Loss in Ancient and Medieval Literature and History, Beiträge zur Altertumskunde Band 404, 2022
TRACING THE SAME PATH - Tradizione e innovazione nella papirologia ercolanese tra Germania e Italia / Tradition und Fortschritt in der herkulanischen Papyrologie zwischen Deutschland und Italien, VII Supplemento a «Cronache Ercolanesi» 2021», 2021
In recent decades, Herculaneum papyrology has undergone an evolution that involves not only the w... more In recent decades, Herculaneum papyrology has undergone an evolution that involves not only the way of reading, interpreting and editing the texts, but also, especially, the way of reconstructing the fragmented rolls. This increasingly raises methodological questions concerning the presentation of results in the editions and the graphical representation of the reconstruction. This paper aims to present some reflections on these two aspects.
As for the first one, accuracy and usability of the editions of reconstructed rolls will be taken in consideration, giving particular attention to the numbering of the columns and to the presentation of text coming from papyri characterized by complex stratigraphy.
Then, moving to the second point, after some reflections on the so-called maquettes, we will present a new software, currently being developed, for the virtual reconstruction of papyri with complex stratigraphy.
«Cronache Ercolanesi» 51/2021, 2021
This work aims to investigate the meaning of the definition «spaccato», which occurs for the firs... more This work aims to investigate the meaning of the definition «spaccato», which occurs for the first time in Piaggio’s Memorie and in the oldest Inventory of the Herculaneum Papyri. Along with the detailed examination of the documents that use the term, the morphological analysis of the papyri recorded as «spaccato» and «spaccato per mezzo» shows that in the 1823, 1824, and 1853 Inventories, these terms had a technical sense which cannot be found in later inventories. Already in Piaggio, the term is closely related to the well-known practice of opening the rolls by cutting them along the length, which was inaugurated by Paderni.
Cronache Ercolanesi, 2020
This paper presents a catalogue of Knut Kleve’s documents and papers, which are kept at the Natio... more This paper presents a catalogue of Knut Kleve’s documents and papers, which are kept at the National Library of Norway, with a description of their content.
Cronache Ercolanesi, 2020
Many Herculaneum papyri remain unpublished to this day because of their stratigraphical problems.... more Many Herculaneum papyri remain unpublished to this day because of their stratigraphical problems. This paper presents the idea of a new specific software which will make the complex work of reordering pieces and layers in the virtual reconstructions of the Herculaneum scrolls easier and faster.
Polygraphia , 2019
In the major dictionaries of ancient Greek currently in use, some words are recorded as Philodeme... more In the major dictionaries of ancient Greek currently in use, some words are recorded as Philodemean hapax on the basis of the only attestation in Philodemus, De dis, book I (PHerc. 26), according to the text published by Hermann Diels in 1916; the article shows that some of these words are not confirmed by the exam of the papyrus and, since they have no other evidence in ancient sources, should be classified as ghost words.
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Papers by Marzia D'Angelo
A call for applications is now open for the first training workshop “RECREATE - Hands on Reconstruction”, to be held from 11th to 14th June 2024 at the Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici of the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, in collaboration with the Centro Internazionale per lo Studio dei Papiri Ercolanesi ‘Marcello Gigante’.
As for the first one, accuracy and usability of the editions of reconstructed rolls will be taken in consideration, giving particular attention to the numbering of the columns and to the presentation of text coming from papyri characterized by complex stratigraphy.
Then, moving to the second point, after some reflections on the so-called maquettes, we will present a new software, currently being developed, for the virtual reconstruction of papyri with complex stratigraphy.
A call for applications is now open for the first training workshop “RECREATE - Hands on Reconstruction”, to be held from 11th to 14th June 2024 at the Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici of the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, in collaboration with the Centro Internazionale per lo Studio dei Papiri Ercolanesi ‘Marcello Gigante’.
As for the first one, accuracy and usability of the editions of reconstructed rolls will be taken in consideration, giving particular attention to the numbering of the columns and to the presentation of text coming from papyri characterized by complex stratigraphy.
Then, moving to the second point, after some reflections on the so-called maquettes, we will present a new software, currently being developed, for the virtual reconstruction of papyri with complex stratigraphy.
In particular, the research unit of the Istituto Papirologico “G. Vitelli” at Florence, in collaboration with the University of Genova, operates in WiP by updating the lexicon of the documentary papyrology, which has as its main tool the F. Preisigke’s Wörterbuch der griechischen Papyrusurkunden and its Supplements, of which the last dates back to 2000. The new several editions of papyrological texts enrich constantly our knowledge of the Greek lexicon concerning many different fields like administration, economy, daily life etc., by furnishing hapax or rare words which are not yet recorded in the main existing dictionaries.
This speech aims to present the online database WiP, how it works and which advantages offers compared to traditional dictionaries, with a particular focus on the great contribution offered by Greek documentary papyrology to Greek lexicography.
PHerc. 89/1383 is a case of this kind: as Gianluca Del Mastro has recently discovered, these two papyri are respectively the upper and the lower part of the same roll, broken roughly in the middle. A systematic study of both papyri – that remain so far unpublished due to their poor state of conservation – is required to determine the correct order of the fragments in the roll and to examine the content of the work. Actually, due to its carbonized state, during the unrolling different layers of papyrus remained attached to each other: this makes it necessary to distinguish sovrapposti and sottoposti (pieces layered above or below) from the main layer in order to virtually place them in their original position in the roll.
This speech aims to show some preliminary results of the work in progress on this new text, in which a new reading of the final subscriptio confirms that the author is the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus of Gadara. Thanks to an accurate stratigraphical analysis of the fragments, some textual sequences are now readable and they will be able to clarify the theological argument of the treatise, by revealing important points of contact with the other religious works by Philodemus.