Breaking through the language barrier – bringing ‘dead’ languages to life through sensory and narrative engagement

Abigail Baker,Alison Cooley

doi:10.1080/09647775.2018.1501601

Abstract

ABSTRACTAncient inscriptions can be difficult to understand and off-putting to museum audiences, but they are packed with personal stories and vivid information about the people who made them. This article argues that overcoming the language barrier presented by these objects can offer a deep sense of engagement with the ancient world and explores possible ways of achieving this. It looks at examples of effective approaches from a range of European museums with a particular emphasis on bringing out the sensory, social, and narrative dimensions of these objects. It argues that inscriptions can change the way that museum visitors view the ancient world and empower them to interpret the past for themselves in new and creative ways.

Highlights

This article is about exploring museum objects with writing on them
It collects best practice from across a range of European museums to show practical approaches to the problems of inscriptions and reflects on why they can be effective in empowering museum visitors to make sense of the Roman past
This article uses Latin inscriptions as a case study of objects that are information-dense, and difficult for many people to understand without effective interpretation

Summary

Introduction

This article is about exploring museum objects with writing on them. Inscriptions are a specialist topic and under-recognised in museums, but they carry lessons for other kinds of engagement with more complex objects. This article argues that overcoming the language barrier presented by these objects can offer a deep sense of engagement with the ancient world and explores possible ways of achieving this.

Results

Conclusion