Documenting the Past, Triaging the Present and Assessing the Future: A Prototype for Sicily's Norman Heritage, ca. 1061-1194
FAIN: PW-263985-19
Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ 07043-1600)
Dawn Marie Hayes (Project Director: July 2018 to February 2022)
The planning and development of an online
database that would aggregate information on the historic buildings and
monuments of Sicily’s Norman period, dating from 1061 to 1194. This pilot phase would focus on the 147 monasteries
that are known to have been built in this period. The resource would disseminate three types of
information: historical and site-specific data for all of the monasteries, photographic
and video documentation of the 52 that survive, and any related genealogical
data.
The Norman Sicily Project (NSP) digitally registers, maps and analyzes the monuments erected during the island's Norman period (ca. 1061-1194), arguably the most auspicious years in its long history. In so doing, it provides new understandings of the complex society that produced them. The project accomplishes this by joining history and earth science in a collaboration made broadly accessible by digital technologies. This application is in support of a pilot project to ensure that the best technological foundation is in place for the NSP's future development. The primary grant product will be a prototype offering access to an entire class of monuments - the society's monasteries - including images, geographic location, onomastic information, chronological data, types of attestation, gender, order, administrative rank, mother houses, dependencies, founders, dates of field visits, seismic region information and sustainability data. These data will be made freely available to the public.
Associated Products
The Norman Sicily Project: A Digital Portal to Sicily’s Norman Past (Article)Title: The Norman Sicily Project: A Digital Portal to Sicily’s Norman Past
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Author: Joseph Hayes
Abstract: The cultural heritage of medieval Sicily faces enormous challenges. Rich and diverse as it is, it is beset by numerous problems that have rendered it fragile and often inaccessible. The situation is such that many sites are unsigned. Others are very difficult to get to. And even others – ones that are more easily located – have erratic hours, essentially locking out the average visitor to Sicily unless s/he is willing to invest the time and have the language skills necessary to persuade residents in the surrounding area to get the access keys.
Given these challenges, we are developing The Norman Sicily Project to document the cultural heritage of medieval Sicily during its Norman period (in other words, c. 1061–1194) so that a wide audience can learn about what was once there and what still remains. The site attempts to reconstruct what we know about the society by bringing together images, basic identifying information, geolocation data and, in some cases, videos, using modern web development techniques. It also offers genealogical information and visualization tools that can help visitors understand the data in new ways as well as sustainability data related to the monuments’ physical states. The intention is that the project will offer scholars, students and the general public who are interested in Norman Sicily the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with each other while suggesting a web-based model for other medieval communities.
Year: 2019
Primary URL:
http://doi.org/10.16995/dm.68Primary URL Description: Digital Object Identifier
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Journal
Publisher: Digital Medievalist
The Norman Sicily Project: Resources for the Study of the Norman State in Sicily, 1061-1194 (Web Resource)Title: The Norman Sicily Project: Resources for the Study of the Norman State in Sicily, 1061-1194
Author: Joseph Hayes
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Abstract: The Norman Sicily Project (NSP) digitally registers, maps and analyzes the monuments erected during the island’s Norman period (ca. 1061-1194), arguably the most auspicious years in its long history. In so doing, it provides new understandings of the complex society that produced them. The project accomplishes this by joining history and earth science in a collaboration made broadly accessible by digital technologies. Currently in prototype form, the web app offers access to an entire class of monuments - the society’s monasteries - including images, geographic location, onomastic information, chronological data, types of attestation, gender, order, administrative rank, mother houses, dependencies, founders, dates of field visits, seismic region information and sustainability data. These data are made freely available to the public.
Year: 2019
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.orgPrimary URL Description: Link to the English-language website.
Secondary URL:
http://sicilianormanna.itSecondary URL Description: Link to the Italian-language version of the website.
Who, What and Where: Monastic Patrons in Norman Sicily (Blog Post)Title: Who, What and Where: Monastic Patrons in Norman Sicily
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Abstract: Although at first robust, the Norman rulers' patronage of monasteries appears to have waned significantly after the death of Roger I in 1101. Certain regions were focuses of monastic activity whereas others were relatively untouched. As for the spiritual patrons these communities honored, they, too, became more restricted as time went on.
Date: 04/01/2021
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.org/en/resources/engage/patronage/Primary URL Description: Link to the blog post.
Website: The Norman Sicily Project - Engage Interpretations of the Data
The Geographical Distribution of Norman Sicily's Monasteries (Blog Post)Title: The Geographical Distribution of Norman Sicily's Monasteries
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Abstract: Although the Normans were in control of Sicily by 1091, some 83% of the society’s monasteries were located in just 3 regions, the modern provinces of Messina, Palermo and Catania.
Date: 04/01/2021
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.org/en/resources/engage/monastic-houses-by-order/Primary URL Description: Link to the blog post.
Website: The Norman Sicily Project - Engage Interpretations of the Data
Was the Distance Traditionally Practiced by Various Orders Observed in Norman Sicily? (Blog Post)Title: Was the Distance Traditionally Practiced by Various Orders Observed in Norman Sicily?
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Abstract: The distance traditionally practiced by various monastic orders does appear to have been observed in Sicily - though there were exceptions.
Date: 04/01/2021
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.org/en/resources/engage/distance/Primary URL Description: Link to the blog post.
Website: The Norman Sicily Project - Engage Interpretations of the Data
The Hard vs. Soft Power of Medieval Monasticism: A Comparison with English Data (Blog Post)Title: The Hard vs. Soft Power of Medieval Monasticism: A Comparison with English Data
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Abstract: An examination of Siculo-Norman monasteries and their dedications reveals that although the Normans maintained control over the monastic orders - the “hard power” that could have strong political ramifications on the island - they were less focused on streamlining the softer power that was represented by the cults of the saints.
Date: 04/01/2021
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.org/en/resources/engage/Primary URL Description: Link to the blog post.
Website: The Norman Sicily Project - Engage Interpretations of the Data
Monasticism and . . . Marriage? (Blog Post)Title: Monasticism and . . . Marriage?
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Abstract: The foundation of the seemingly random priory of St. George of Gratteri appears to have been an attempt to woo a bride and her very powerful dad.
Date: 04/01/2021
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.org/en/resources/engage/making-sense-of-an-outlier/Primary URL Description: Link to the blog post.
Website: The Norman Sicily Project - Engage Interpretations of the Data
There Weren't Many Nuns in Norman Sicily (Blog Post)Title: There Weren't Many Nuns in Norman Sicily
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Abstract: The fact that there were so few nuns in Norman Sicily may have been directly related to a concern for their safety and the ability to place the communities in well-fortified areas, echoing a concern that is expressed in the law code promulgated by King Roger II in the 1140s.
Date: 04/01/2021
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.org/en/resources/engage/there-werent-many-nuns-in-norman-sicily/Primary URL Description: Link to the blog post.
Website: The Norman Sicily Project - Engage Interpretations of the Data
The Norman Sicily Project: An Ongoing, Web-Based Effort to Promote the Island's Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Past (Book Section)Title: The Norman Sicily Project: An Ongoing, Web-Based Effort to Promote the Island's Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Past
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Author: Joseph Hayes
Editor: Emily Sohmer Tai
Editor: Kathryn Reyerson
Abstract: The cultural heritage of medieval Sicily is extraordinary. Yet, although rich and diverse, it confronts numerous challenges that make it vulnerable and often inaccessible. Many of its medieval sites are unsigned. Others are very difficult to get to. And even others – ones that are more easily located – have erratic hours, essentially locking out the average visitor unless they are willing to invest the time and have the language skills necessary to persuade residents in the surrounding area to arrange access.
Inspired by these challenges, we are developing The Norman Sicily Project (NSP, http://normansicily.org) to document the cultural heritage of medieval Sicily during its Norman period (c. 1061-1194) so that a wider audience can learn about what was once there and what still remains. The site attempts to reconstruct what we know about the society by bringing together images, basic identifying information, geolocation data and, in some cases, videos, using modern web development techniques. For some sites, it also offers visualization tools that can help visitors understand the data in new ways. A genealogical resource - a force-directed graph - has also been developed to help viewers understand the kinship networks that the Norman rulers enjoyed with families across Europe. Blog posts by students working on the project as well as an online form that invites a broader community to participate in the project by submitting information that can be corroborated by the team's members have been developed to help foster a sense of community as well as to facilitate sharing by people who have relevant data, including Sicilians who have information stored locally in their cities and towns. The intention is that the project will offer scholars, students and the general public who are interested in Norman Sicily the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with each other while suggesting a web-based model for other medieval communities.
Year: 2022
Access Model: This volume will be available in print and electronic versions.
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Book Title: Mapping Pre-Modern Sicily: Maritime Violence, Cultural Exchange and Imagination in the Mediterranean
The Norman Sicily Project: Deriving Meaning from the Prototype’s Data (Article)Title: The Norman Sicily Project: Deriving Meaning from the Prototype’s Data
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Abstract: This article introduces readers to the Norman Sicily Project and then interprets the data, drawing on the observations made in the blog posts here: http://normansicily.org/en/resources/engage/
Year: 2022
Primary URL:
https://www.centrostudidelgargano.it/pubblicazioni/kalkas/Primary URL Description: Link to the journal's website.
Access Model: Subscription Only
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Kalkas: Rivista sulla preistoria, storia, archeologia, numismatica, storia dell’arte, scienze del paesaggio e storia agraria e forestale del Gargano e
Publisher: Centro Studi Storico Archeologici del Gargano
The Norman Sicily Project (Computer Program)Title: The Norman Sicily Project
Author: Joseph Hayes
Abstract: The GitHub repository of the website's source code.
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
https://github.com/the-norman-sicily-projectPrimary URL Description: Location of the project's source code.
Access Model: Open Access
Source Available?: Yes
The Norman Sicily Project's Vocabularies (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)Title: The Norman Sicily Project's Vocabularies
Author: Joseph Hayes
Abstract: The project's vocabularies are available for download in various formats, including JSON-LD, N3, N-Quads, RDF/XML, TRiG, and TTL.
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.org/en/resources/download/Primary URL Description: Link to the download page.
Access Model: Open Access
The Norman Sicily Project - Monastic Dataset (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)Title: The Norman Sicily Project - Monastic Dataset
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Author: Joseph Hayes
Abstract: Currently, the dataset includes all the known Norman monasteries in Sicily from the period beginning 1060 until 1194. It is available in various formats, including JSON-LD, N3, N-Quads, RDF/XML, TRiG, and TTL.
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.org/en/resources/download/Primary URL Description: Link to download the dataset.
Access Model: Open Access
The Norman Sicily Project - Kinship Network Dataset (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)Title: The Norman Sicily Project - Kinship Network Dataset
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Author: Joseph Hayes
Abstract: The dataset includes the Hautevilles who ruled Sicily and southern Italy as well as a wide variety of individuals who were part of their extended family network. Developed from numerous published scholarly sources, the tree is both chronologically and geographically broad in an effort to situate the Hautevilles within numerous aristocratic families from across the European continent. With that said, the genealogy is meant to be suggestive, not comprehensive. While it is included in the complete dataset above, it is also available for download in various formats, including GEDCOM, JSON-LD, N3, N-Quads, RDF/XML, TRiG, and TTL.
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
http://normansicily.org/en/resources/download/Primary URL Description: Link to download the dataset.
Access Model: Open Access
The Norman Sicily Project - Media Page (Web Resource)Title: The Norman Sicily Project - Media Page
Author: Dawn Marie Hayes
Author: Joseph Hayes
Abstract: The project's media page.
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
http://media.normansicily.org/Primary URL Description: Direct link to the project's images and videos.