Kiel

The research unit Kiel deals with the runic inscriptions in the older fuþark (North Germanic and South Germanic inscriptions) and with the inscriptions in the younger fuþark. 

Adapting and modifying the concept of German Verschriftung ('scripting'), research concentrates on the medial aspect of runic writing, focusing on the relation of sound and written representation ("runic graphemics").

Work in the first part of the research programme is devoted to theoretical-methodological preliminaries in the field of graphemics, the aim of which is the development of a homogeneous model of description and classification for the study of the runic monuments, inscriptions and runic signs. This forms the basis for the design and development of a relational database structure into which, in a first step, relevant basic data on all runic objects and inscriptions will be entered. In a second step, graphetic and graphemic data on the inscriptions from the areas and sub-groups under investigation will follow.

The result of the digitally based graphemic research is the first digital platform for runic graphemics (see RuneS database).

Head of the research unit: Dr. Christiane Zimmermann