Today, we agree with our friends overseas to develop an understanding of how the Old World connected 2,600 years ago to the New World. Here is the text of our agreement.
CLUB DIDON DE CARTHAGE AND HEARTLAND RESEARCH
WHEREAS the undersigned parties desire to develop and execute a historical research project entitled “The Punic Virtual Museum.”
WHEREAS Association Didon de Carthage in Tunisia is organized to preserve the cultural heritage of the ancient City of Carthage and the Punic people.
WHEREAS Heartland Research Inc. is a non-profit corporation registered in America. The corporation owns Captain Philip Beale’s Phoenicia and 9.3 acres of land. The ship replica represents the efforts of thousands of people over the last two decades. The ship sailed on the open oceans for more than 30,000 miles around Africa and across the Atlantic and is now coming together at a museum in Montrose, Iowa, on the west bank of the Upper Mississippi. There is no other artifact in America that so clearly and directly connects to the ancient world of the Punic people.
WHEREAS “The Punic Virtual Museum” will digitize stone engravings, allowing a more dynamic representation of Punic inscriptions. With laser scanning and other techniques, creating highly detailed virtual models of stone artifacts will be possible. These engraved images will be displayed in various ways, for example, using raking light to accentuate fine features. By uploading models to a website or embedding them in other digital resources, these models can also be manipulated by users, allowing ‘virtual’ interaction with the stones. The 3D digital images will help preserve the cultural heritage of the Punic people and make them available to millions of viewers from the comfort of their homes. This research will preserve the Carthaginian inscriptions for posterity, thus preserving the culture.
WHEREAS Ery’j B. Sassi Trimech is the President and Founder of the Association Didon de Carthage in Tunisia. This association will lead to legal and proper access to the 3D digitization of about 100 significant artifacts in 600 B.C. Carthage was a major power center in the Ancient World. For centuries, the city rivaled Rome. This rivalry culminated in the three Punic Wars, fought between 264 B.C. and 146 B.C., ending with the utter and horrific destruction of Carthage and its culture. We are particularly interested in artifacts with Punic scripts dating from the Sixth to the Fourth Centuries B.C.
WHEREAS John Lefgren and Michael LaFontaine from Heartland Research Inc. on Friday, March 3, 2023, met in Washington, D.C., at the Tunisian Embassy Her Excellency Mrs. Hanene Tajouri Bessassi, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to the United States. The Ambassador expressed her interest in supporting the efforts of Association Didon de Carthage and Heartland Research Inc.’s efforts to bring Tunisia’s rich history to the attention of the American people.
WHEREAS The Republic of Tunisia is one of the leading international tourist destinations in North Africa, which will benefit from “The Punic Virtual Museum,” as it can potentially attract tourists from America and other countries to Tunisia.
Agreed and Signed, Date: October 9, 2023
Ery’j B. Sassi Trimech
President and Founder of
Association Didon de Carthage
John Lefgren, PhD
President
Heartland Research Inc.
