TP Global Bones - Database

Transversal Project (GLOBO Database)

The researchers involved in the Regional Projects contribute their data to the shared Transversal Project database. This relational GLOBO database operates within the nodegoat environment, offering a platform for the visualization and analysis of object biographies (including persons, artifacts, and relics) within a spatio-temporal framework.

The database focuses on tracing the transnational and transcontinental movement of human remains and the diverse practices and forms of exchange that facilitated these movements. Key questions include: which human remains were transported, by what means (e.g., as gifts, purchases, or through theft), who the principal actors were, and the purposes these remains served at their destinations. Through the systematic collection of data from a broad range of written sources, as well as from extant relics and reliquaries within the regions under investigation, we aim to develop a better understanding of the routes and networks through which human remains circulated.

In doing so, we seek to uncover previously unnoticed or underexamined relationships, particularly those in which Europe functioned as a recipient of relics, and to explore direct exchanges between Asia, Africa, and the Americas that bypassed Europe. These lesser-known connections are likely to have played a relevant role in cultural and artistic exchange processes.