Cambridge Journals celebrates completion of oldest digital journal archive

Cambridge University Press and the Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) have completed the digital archives of their oldest journals.

Archaeologia, dating from 1770, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London and The Antiquaries Journal have all been archived online. They encompass key research in the study of material culture and antiquity.

The journals of the Society of Antiquaries of London reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the study of material culture, publishing a balanced mix of papers from all periods, from prehistory to the recent past. They address research questions from a variety of perspectives, combining, for example, historical, art historical, architectural, linguistic, archaeological and scientific data.

As part of the ongoing project to digitise the back content of all Cambridge journals, the SAL journals were subject to scanning and extensive checking by a dedicated archive team to ensure all pages met the high standard required. Key metadata and references within each article were coded to ensure they could be easily discoverable and accessible.

Christopher Catling of the Society of Antiquaries of London, said: "These papers reflect the insatiable curiosity of Fellows from the eighteenth century to the internet age; they embrace every aspect of the material past, from prehistoric flint tools to the dating of England's magnificent Gothic cathedrals, with some perennial themes, such as Stonehenge, Hadrian's Wall, and the Bayeux Tapestry that have been studied over and again and yet continue to yield important new information."

The journal archives of the Society of Antiquaries of London are available to purchase by Institutions as part of an archive collection. To find out more contact USJournals@cambridge.org if you are in the Americas; or Jnlsales@cambridge.org for the rest of the world.