The textual tradition of Dante’s Commedia, characterized by the absence of the original manuscript, the early and widespread success of the work, the diversity of its material and graphic transmission, and the wealth of illustrations and commentaries, requires both a constant dialogue between historical and philological disciplines and the support of advanced technologies in the field of Digital & Computational Humanities. Approaches such as diagnostic imaging, semantic web technologies, and artificial intelligence are essential for addressing unresolved issues and advancing knowledge of the poem’s text and its reception.
The Naples Dante Project, coordinated by Gennaro Ferrante, will present in Naples on December 18–19 the progress made in its main research areas (book, image, text), with a focus on:
⁃ a new architecture for the digital catalog of manuscripts and early illustrated editions of the Commedia;
⁃ an expanded iconographic model that includes miniatures, woodcuts, engravings, and preparatory drawings;
⁃ a comprehensive recensio of manuscripts supported by HTR and layout recognition to identify textual lacunae and variants;
⁃ an innovative system for comparing previous critical editions of the text;
⁃ a project for the digital classification of ancient commentaries.
These advancements represent initial steps toward a standardized and F.A.I.R. digital classification of the textual, iconographic, and exegetical apparatuses of Dante’s masterpiece, as well as the creation of a critical text based on the comprehensive collation of the manuscript tradition.
