MDDM urls: maps, Lakota, Chinese dionsaurs, etc.

[Doug Millison]

Stanford Digital Forma Urbis Romae Project
http://formaurbis.stanford.edu/index.html

The Forma Urbis Romae, also known as the Severan Marble Plan, is a giant
marble map of ancient Rome measuring 60 feet wide by 45 feet high, dating to
the reign of Septimius Severus (circa 200 AD). Unfortunately, the map has
been broken into 1,186 fragmented pieces, and not all of the pieces still
exist. Presently, engineers from the Department of Computer Science and
archaeologists from the Department of Classics at Stanford University, along
with the Sovraintendenza of the City of Rome, are working diligently to
piece the map back together. This site currently features a sample of 28
fragments from the map, with each entry containing digital color photographs
and 3D models, a search box, a description of the fragment, an analysis of
its significance, and a review of the scholarly literature. The full release
of the database of all 1,186 known fragments is planned for 2003. [MG]

Two on Maps of Scotland
Charting the Nation: Maps of Scotland and Associated Archives, 1550-1740
http://www.chartingthenation.lib.ed.ac.uk/index.html
Maps of Scotland: National Library of Scotland
http://www.nls.uk/collections/maps/index.html

Charting the Nation (CN) includes single maps, maps in atlases, and other
bound books, as well as manuscript and printed texts relating to the
geography and mapping of Scotland from 1550 to 1740 and beyond. Currently,
there are 2,208 images, and more will be added later this year. CN employs
the Luna Insight Image Browser, which provides a handy workspace for zooming
in, rotating maps, and comparing maps, although it's a little difficult to
read the image metadata. CN's initial plan was to begin at 1590, but has
been able to incorporate some items that pre-date Timothy Pont and his
sixteenth century field maps, the earliest a manuscript map of the English/
Scottish border from 1522. Similarly, the National Library of Scotland
consists of three main collections: Maps of Scotland, 1560-1928; Pont's
Map's of Scotland, ca. 1583 - 1596; and Military Maps of Scotland. Maps of
Scotland contains 800 early maps -- including maps of the whole country,
county maps, town plans, and sea charts -- while the Pont's Map's of
Scotland contains 77 manuscript maps made by Timothy Pont. On the search
screen, pull-down menus facilitate finding maps by geographic location,
names of surveyors, map makers and engravers, or by keyword. Once found,
viewers can zoom into a map, but decompressing the larger images can be a
little slow. Lastly, the database contains close to 400 military maps
primarily from the 18th century, with over half detailing four major
fortifications: Edinburgh Castle, Fort Augustus, Fort George at Ardersier,
and Fort William. [DS]


12. Lakota na Dakota Wowapi Oti Kin
http://puffin.creighton.edu/lakota/index.html

The Lakota na Dakota Wowapi Oti Kin is a one-stop information portal
containing Internet resources on people of Lakota and Dakota descent (also
known as Sioux or Siouan peoples). Created and maintained by Professor
Martin Brokenleg of Augustana College and Dr. Raymond Bucko, S.J. of
Creighton University, this site offers Web links in various categories
including art and artists / music and musicians, bibliographic resources,
demography, education, history, language resources, legal issues, maps,
museums, and a host of other Lakota-related sites. For those interested in
locating information in the field of Native American studies, specifically
on the Sioux peoples, this site is an excellent place to begin your search.
[MG]

Dox Thrash: Revealed
http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/exhibits/thrash/flash.html

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has created an online version of their
exhibition entitled Dox Thrash: An African American Master Printmaker
Rediscovered. Dox Thrash (1893-1965), a notable artist who rose to national
prominence during the late 1930s, is mostly known for his carborundum
prints, a process of using gritty carborundum crystals on copper plates to
carve etchings. Consisting of various samples of Thrash's prints, drawings,
and watercolors from the 1930s to the 1950s, this online exhibit portrays
the depth of the artist's imagery with illustrations ranging from depictions
of the rural south to images of the industrial north, from drawings of war
and destruction to paintings of hope and freedom. Users will find that this
site not only features artistic images, but also provides a brief history of
the artist's life and background information, along with poetic quotes from
prominent authors such as Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, and Alain Locke.
Also available for artist enthusiasts is information on drawing techniques
including carborundum mezzotint, carborundum relief etching, aquatint,
drypoint, etching, linocut, lithograph, mezzotint, and woodcut. [MG]

Chinese Dinosaurs
http://www.austmus.gov.au/chinese_dinosaurs/index.htm

What's "Jurassic Park" in Mandarin? That isn't easy to say, but if you're
interested in Chinese dinosaurs, then you will love the new online (and
real) exhibit hosted by the Australian Museum in Sydney. A vast land
containing many of the world's best-preserved dinosaur specimens, China
offers remnants of many species not commonly available in Western exhibits.
With lots to explore, the site features a readily accessible list of
dinosaurs, each arranged under its Chinese-derived species name. Not like
anything most of us have ever heard, many of the specimens look and seem
familiar, at least as members of the dinosaur family. While generally well-
executed, particularly worthy of note is the site's presentation of China's
celebrated feathered dinosaurs, Caudipteryx zoui and Protarchaeopteryx, two
curious figures believed to represent part of the great reptilian leap from
land to air. [WH]

>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2002.
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/