About BrahmiLineageDB

Tracing Script Lineages, Amplifying Voices

BrahmiLineageDB is a collaborative research environment dedicated to documenting the expansive family tree of Brahmi-derived scripts. We combine palaeography, archaeology, digital humanities, and community scholarship to build an evolving record of writing traditions across South and Southeast Asia and the Himalayan region.

Our initiative is sustained by archivists, typographers, epigraphists, and local custodians. Together, we bring analogue sources into an open digital commons, ensuring that endangered manuscripts and inscriptions remain accessible for future generations.

Mission Priorities

  • Preserve and digitize fragile inscriptions, manuscripts, and oral histories.
  • Provide multilingual access to palaeographic vocabularies and teaching resources.
  • Support scholars and community experts with open datasets and collaborative tools.

Who We Are

BrahmiLineageDB began as a working group of researchers cataloguing inscriptional corpora across India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Tibet. We soon realized that disconnected archival efforts needed a shared, open platform. Today our database integrates field notes, 3D scans, TEI-XML transcriptions, and vector reconstructions, enabling cross-comparison of glyph evolution over two millennia.

The initiative is stewarded by the Luminous Glyphs Collective, partnering with museums, monasteries, universities, and community archives. We prioritize ethical protocols and data sovereignty, ensuring cultural knowledge holders remain centered in publishing decisions.

Core Programs

Preservation

Field Recording Missions

Community-led expeditions capture multi-spectral imagery, audio narratives, and spatial data of at-risk inscriptions. Outputs feed directly into our digitized inscription library.

Research

Glyph Analytics Studio

Our analytics tooling enables comparative glyph overlays, curvature analysis, and font prototyping to support typographers and linguists working with Brahmic script families.

Access

Geo-Cultural Atlas

Explore multi-layer maps charting the diffusion of scripts via trade, pilgrimage, and political networks, including downloadable GeoJSON bundles and story map templates.

Community

Collaboratory Support

We offer grants, technical assistance, and open documentation to help local archives publish and maintain their own Brahmic script collections within the network.