9 April 2019 – In April 2019, the Palermo launch for the DocuMult Project was hosted by the Università degli Studi di Palermo in the Church of Sant’Antonio Abate at Lo Steri. Organised by Professor Beatrice Pasciuta (Senior Researcher and Latin Team Leader) and Dr Marta Cerrito (Latin Postdoctoral Research Assistant), the event aimed to raise the project’s profile within the university itself and more generally in the city of Palermo. There were approximately 100 attendees, including university leaders, academic staff and students, local government officials and journalists, as well as members of the public.

Following a welcome and introduction from the senior leadership team of Palermo University, attendees heard presentations on topics relating to the coexistence of the different religious, ethnic and linguistic communities in Sicily during the period of Norman rule (including Arab-speaking Muslims and Jews, Greek Christians, and Latin Christians). Speakers included Oxford’s Professor Jeremy Johns, the project’s Principal Investigator, as well as the two Senior Researchers based at Palermo, Professor Beatrice Pasciuta (Latin Team Leader) and Professor Cristina Rognoni (Greek Team Leader).

Following responses from Fabio Giambrone (Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Palermo) and academic staff based at the Università degli Studi di Palermo, the discussion was concluded by Professor Karen O’Brien (Head of the Humanities Division at the Univeristy of Oxford).