Shahi Kingdoms Digital Publication and Research Platform

This innovative project will produce the first dynamic digital publication and online resources focused on the cultural history and rich material culture of the Shahi kingdoms. Because of their extensive territory spanning from eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India to the West Tibetan frontier, the Shahi played a pivotal role in the history of Central, Inner, and South Asia during the 7 th to 10th century CE. Humanities scholars and digital experts from prominent Austrian institutions the University of Vienna, Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Art History Museum Viennaand abroad have teamed up to explore new possibilities for publishing research on the Shahi in a dynamic format. The unique digital publication (accompanied by a print volume) will integrate groundbreaking scholarship with the large corpus of primary source materials (artifacts, coins, inscriptions, archaeological sites) in the Shahi Kingdoms Database and a geo-referenced Interactive Map. The database and map were initiated by the same team in the context of Austrian Science Fund project (P- 31246) Cultural Formation and Transformation. This complex research data, extensive visual material, and historical problems can only be considered with the use of these digital tools that enable digitally engaged scholarship and will be usable in future multidisciplinary projects. The new digital publication will make rare, unpublished, and at-risk material accessible and contextualized for scholars, museum professionals, and interested individuals for the first time. The project is led by Dr. Natasha Kimmet in conjunction with senior scholars Univ.-Prof. Dr. Deborah Klimburg-Salter and HR Doz. Dr. Michael Alram together with leading subject specialists in art history, archaeology, numismatics, history, and cartography. Design and implementation of the publication will be realized through cooperation with the Austrian Academy of Sciences Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage (ACDH-CH). 1