Reconstructing the Map: ‘Deep Mapping’ Greece, 1821–1852

Abstract

The article serves as introduction to this Special Section. After a brief overview
of the potential of historical maps as visual memory registers, and a presentation of some
analogous recent developments in the digital humanities, such as “spatial history”, “deep
mapping” and “digital storytelling”, the article presents the aim of the project and the
empirical methodology followed for the development of the Digital Atlas of the Greek
War of Independence and the Creation of the Greek State, 1821–1852. The Atlas is based
on the corpus of important maps produced during the period under examination, their
exploitation as sources of information, and their reconstruction, achieved through the
unveiling of the subsequent layers of the principal sources of information of each map,
such as travellers’ accounts and scientific expeditions, topographic illustrations and
reconnaissance itineraries, topographic or hydrographic surveys, statistics, etc. The atlas
is further supplemented by additional information, a selection of first-hand testimonies
on the Greek War of Independence, extracted from memoirs of combatants as well as
illustrations related to the revolutionary events.