Valorizzare e comunicare le collezioni dell’Oriente Antico in Italia : Il Progetto ArCOA

ArCOA – Archivi e Collezioni dell’Oriente Antico is a project launched by the University of Milan and by the Institute of Heritage Science of the CNR, having the University of Turin as a research partner. It aims at studying, communicating and promoting the collections of ancient Near Eastern artefacts hosted in the Italian institutions. In the paper an overview of the activities carried on by the ArCOA team is presented, illustrating the digital archive and the others dedicated digital tools, the survey of the collections, and the future developments. The ArCOA potential for supporting the study and enhancing the knowledge of the Near Eastern collections in Italy is illustrated through case study of archival records pertaining the acquisition history of objects in the Museo di Antichità di Torino.