About PHOINIX

Phoinix is a research platform built in international cooperation. It aims to compile the complete corpus of ancient and post-antique amuletic jewellery preserved in museums and private collections worldwide, and to present them in a unified system of archaeological, museological, philological, and religious historical descriptions. The platform allows data mining according to various criteria and is open for collaborative research agendas, independent content development, and online publication of research results.

Phoinix has emerged from a previous enterprise with a narrower focus, the Campbell Bonner Magical Gems Database, the scientific development of which was discontinued in 2020. Phoinix has a broader material scope and aims to include a variety of object groups (astrological gems, Late Antique stone amulets, metal amuletic jewellery, etc.), and is designed to accommodate simultaneous research projects conducted in international cooperation. While Phoinix builds on the scientific achievements of CBd (and continues its numbering system), it is an independent platform constantly revised, updated and enlarged.

The creation of the Phoinix Platform was made possible by the Association Hellas & Roma, Genève, a recipient of the Pro Cultura Hungarica award.

The development and maintenance of the Phoinix Platform rely on the collaboration of several research partners worldwide, and is coordinated by the Palladion Association for the Study of Classical Antiquity in Budapest and the Department of Greek and Latin at University College London.

Project partners (in alphabetical order):

Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (BBAW), Berlin
Establishing cross-references between datasheets in Phoinix and the Antiquitatum Thesaurus
Lead partner: Cristina Ruggero, Timo Strauch
Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre for Classical Studies at the Institute of Philosophy, Prague
Publication of the Holy Rider apotropaia
Lead partner: Juraj Franek

Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI), Eurasien-Abteilung, Berlin
Creating an interactive map of provenanced magical gems in the Atlas der Innovationen
Lead partners: Luisa Noster, Svend Hansen
Musée royal de Mariemont, Morlanwelz – Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Touluse
Incorporating Mithraic amulets into the Phoinix Platform
Lead partners: Laurent Bricault, Richard Veymiers
Università Ca' Foscari, Venezia
Research on Jewish and Early Christian amulets within the framework of the project Early Jewish and Christian Traditions
Lead partner: Joseph E. Sanzo
Université de Fribourg, Département d’Histoire de l’Art et d’Archéologie, Fribourg
Publication of astrological gems in the Phoinix Platform, maintenance and editorial support
Lead partners: Véronique Dasen, Fabio Spadini

University of Chicago, Classics Department
Publication of the Shick Family Collection, the largest private collection of amuletic jewellery in the Phoinix Platform
Lead partner: Christopher A. Faraone
University of Pécs, Department of Classical Philology, Pécs
Editorial support. Lead partner: Katalin Bélyácz
University of Reading, Department of Classics, Reading
Doctoral research on ancient gems in mediaeval seals. Lead partner: Adél Ternovácz

Editor-in-chief
Árpád M. Nagy (University of Pécs | Palladion | Honorary Research Fellow, UCL London)

Editors
Péter Agócs (UCL London | Palladion), Katalin Bélyácz (University of Pécs), Kata Endreffy (KRE Budapest | Palladion)

Editorial team

Krisztina Figler-Thury (KRE Budapest | Palladion), Barbara Takács (ELTE Budapest), Noémi Tóth (University of Pécs | Palladion)

Scientific board
Gideon Bohak (Tel Aviv), Mathilde Avisseau-Broustet (Paris), Veronique Dasen (Fribourg), Christopher A. Faraone (Chicago), Richard Gordon (Erfurt), Attilio Mastrocinque (Verona), Simone Michel-von Dungern (Marktbreit), Árpád M. Nagy (Pécs), Joachim Friedrich Quack (Heidelberg), Joseph E. Sanzo (Venice), Jeffrey Spier (Malibu), Sofía Torallas Tovar (Princeton), Richard Veymiers (Morlanwelz)

The Phoinix Platform software is the property of the Palladion Association for the Study of Classical Antiquity, Budapest. The database is stored in Budapest and London.