Ahead of the upcoming conference on the Digital Parish, I wanted to let members of the Network know about a new digital humanities project led by my colleague, Amy Jeffs, and me at Cambridge University. The project, entitled Digital Pilgrim II, will develop the study of medieval pilgrim badges using Geographic Information Systems software to visualise find-spots in relation to shrine sites. We are currently in the process of building a large dataset of pilgrim badge finds in Britain.
Pilgrim badges offer a rare and important insight into the visual world of ordinary people living in Britain between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries, as well as into cultures of pilgrimage, travel and the cult of saints.
This two-year project began in January 2017 and is sponsored by the Paul Mellon Centre.
Digital Pilgrim I is using the British Museum's collection of medieval badges as a case study, making it publicly accessible on online and 3D imaging a selection. The 3D models are being uploaded to the British Museum's Sketchfab account.
For further information, contact:
Amy Jeffs, aj383@cam.ac.uk
Dr Gabriel Byng, gb332@cam.ac.uk