International Catacomb Society

Bridging Disciplines • Supporting Scholarship • Connecting the Public

DAPICS: The Digitized Archives Program of the ICS



DAPICS: Digitized Archives Program


Introduction

DAPICS (Digitized Archives Program of the International Catacomb Society) is a developing resource for scholars worldwide seeking visual data on ancient sites. By integrating current documentation of artifacts with archival photographs, maps, plans, drawings, and other materials of historical, archaeological, and religious significance, DAPICS aims to foster interdisciplinary research and reflection on interactions among societies of the Greco-Roman world.

At present, the archives of the International Catacomb Society contain approximately 5,000 photographic images, all digitized and cataloged in an online database. Particular strengths of the DAPICS collection include the Jewish catacombs of Rome, catacomb epigraphy, early Christian churches in Rome, and early Christian and Jewish iconography.

DAPICS includes a complete set of color images from Joseph Wilpert’s Le pitture delle catacombe romane (1903), as well as selections from private collections generously donated to the program. Many of these images are unpublished and unique.

Researchers may consult the DAPICS archives by submitting a research request to internationalcatacombsociety@gmail.com. Remote access is available to members of the International Catacomb Society.

Copyright Information

Some images in the ICS archives are copyrighted by other institutions or individual photographers. Permission to reproduce material not owned by the International Catacomb Society must be obtained directly from the relevant rights holder. For guidance, contact internationalcatacombsociety@gmail.com.

Contributing Institutions

The following institutions have graciously permitted the ICS to include their images in its archives while retaining all rights to reproduction.

Archives of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology

Pontificia Commissione di Archeologia Sacra (PCAS)
Palazzo del Pontificio Istituto di Archeologia Cristiana
Via Napoleone III, 1
00185 Rome, Italy
Tel. (+39) 06 44 65 610 or (+39) 06 44 67 601
Fax (+39) 06 44 67 625
Email: pcas@arcsacra.va
Regulations for photography and filming in catacombs administered by the PCAS

Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology

Via Napoleone III, 1
00185 Rome, Italy
Tel. (+39) 06 44 65 574
Fax (+39) 06 44 69 197
Email: piac.biblio@piac.it

The PIAC archives possess drawings, watercolors, historic photographs, and special collections, including the Wilpert and Kirsch archives.

Reverenda Fabbrica di San Pietro

Ufficio Scavi, Vatican City
00120 Vatican City
Tel. (+39) 06 6988 5318
Fax (+39) 06 6987 3017
Email: scavi@fsp.va; uff.scavi@fabricsp.va
Website

Archives and Photographic Services of the Vatican Museums

Email: fototeca.musei@scv.va and af.musei@scv.va
Photographic archive policy document

Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana

Office of Reproductions and Copyright
Vatican Library, Cortile del Belvedere
00120 Vatican City
Tel. (+39) 06 6987 9455 or (+39) 06 6987 9407
Fax (+39) 06 6987 9464

Photographic Archives and Services Online

Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma
Largo Peretti, 6
00185 Rome, Italy
Email: ssba-rm.fotosar@beniculturali.it; ssba-rm.fotoriproduzioni@beniculturali.it; ssba-rm.archiviofotografico@beniculturali.it

Segreteria Scientifica: Archivio Fotografico e Disegni

Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Pompei, Ercolano e Stabia
Tel. (+39) 081 857 5223 or (+39) 081 857 5230
Fax (+39) 081 861 3183
Email: ssba-na.pompei@beniculturali.it

Photographic Archive and Fototeca Unione

American Academy in Rome
Via Angelo Masina, 5
00153 Rome, Italy
Tel. (+39) 06 5846 281 or (+39) 06 5810 788
Email: photoarchive@aarome.org

Collections include Parker, Fototeca Unione, Van Deman, and Winslow.

Digital Image Resources

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Tel. 617 369 4338
Email: mfaimages@mfa.org
Image use and gallery photography information