Botaniche Parallele. Per una collezione digitale di piante straordinarie, attraverso il laboratorio collettivo di Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605)

The project explores the relationship between humans and plants worlds, focusing in particular on how curiosity, wonder, and the reverence for the powers of plants have generated knowledge. A specific case study is the rich botanical and book collection of the naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522–1605), which was assembled between the 16th and 17th centuries through a “collective laboratory” involving numerous figures of the time. Starting from this collection, the ultimate goal of the project is to create a compilation of parallel botanics, highlighting the diverse cultural meanings attributed to plants throughout history. This includes the influence of traditions and beliefs that have spread from classical antiquity to the Renaissance and beyond. The vast amount of information drawn from the collection constitutes a dataset that will be modelled using semantic web technologies to standardize the connections between plants, sources, and authors involved in this dense network of knowledge. Each reference entity is described through a metadata record defined according to carefully selected ontologies. Finally, the data and metadata related to the collection are stored, linked, and published through a dedicated digital platform, using the Omeka S software. By leveraging the latest digital technologies, the project aims to promote and enhance research at the intersection of the humanities, computer science, and ethnobotany fields, fostering a deeper awareness of the cultural role of plants in human history.