The project Epigraphies of Pious Travel… is realized in close interaction by two research teams: one in Moscow, Russia, another in Vienna, Austria. Two PIs are at the head of the two teams: Andreas Rhoby (Vienna) and Arkadiy Avdokhin (Moscow).

Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr. Andreas Rhoby, Deputy Head of the Department of Byzantine Studies, Institute for Medieval Research (Austrian Academy of Sciences), is a leading expert on Byzantine epigraphy. Andreas is also a researcher with broader interests in middle and late Byzantine literature, especially epigrammatic. He has published extensively on Greek inscriptions from late antiquity and into later Byzantine and post-Byzantine epoch. Andreas’ opus magnus is the four-volume edition of Byzantine inscribed epigrams (Byzantinische Epigramme in inschriftlicher Überlieferung, Bd.1–4, Wien, 2014–2018), with a wealth of other publications on epigraphy and literature (https://www.oeaw.ac.at/byzanz/mitarbeiterinnen/, http://oeaw.academia.edu/AndreasRhoby).

Dr Rachael Banes, Research Associate at the Department of Byzantine Studies, Institute for Medieval Research (Austrian Academy of Sciences). Rachael has recently finished her doctorate on late antique Greek graffiti at the Centre for, Byzantine, Ottoman & Modern Greek Studies. With her expertise in late antique informal epigraphy in Greek, Rachael is responsible for those inscriptions that fall within the earlier chronological frame of the project.

Dr Arkadiy Avdokhin, Associate Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine History, Institute for Oriental Studies (HSE University, Moscow), is a scholar with a variety of interests in late antique religious and material history. Arkadiy has increasingly focused on Christian as well as civic epigraphy (Greek, Coptic, and Latin) from the eastern regions of the later Roman empire while retaining interest in liturgy and devotion of the period (https://www.hse.ru/en/staff/avdohin).

Dr Hab. Andrey Vinogradov, Associate Professor of Byzantine Studies, Centre for Medieval Studies (HSE University, Moscow) is a well-established expert in Byzantine epigraphy and archaeology. Andrey was the key personality behind the setting-up of another major epigraphic database – Ancient Inscriptions of the Northern Black Sea (IOSPE). He has also published widely on medieval Greek and Gothic inscriptions, Byzantine provincial architecture (https://www.hse.ru/en/staff/andrey.vinogradov).

Dr Hab. Alexey Gippius, Senior research fellow at the Laboratory of Linguo-Semiotic Studies (HSE University, Moscow), and Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is the leading expert in Old Russian language and history. He is Field director of the Velikiy Novrogod birchbark manuscripts excavation project. Alexey’s other current projects include a major initiative to construct an exhaustive, searchable corpus of Old Russian graffiti (https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/34257871).

Yuri Svoisky, Engineering fellow at the Centre for Oriental and Classical Studies (HSE University, Moscow), is an archaeologist and specialist in hi-tech solutions in archaeological archiving (laser scanning, 3D modelling). In the project, Yuri is in charge of field photography, including state-of-the art techniques (https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/237913973).

Yuri Shakhov, Classicist, translator, and programmer, is the IT specialist of the project. Yuri is responsible for building this website, maintaining and filling the database as well as editing its entries.

Sofia Shevchuk is an MA student of Archaeology at the Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies, HSE University (Moscow), who is working towards completion of her thesis on epigraphy from late antique Ephesos. In the project, Sofia is responsible for the processing of Russian graffiti texts and images alongside bringing her experience in projects on modern urbanism and its visualisation.