Digital Sigillography

London, 20 August 2006

Digital Sigillography

An Arts and Humanities Research Council Event

Centre for Computing in the Humanities at King's: Kay House, 7 Arundel Street, London WC1

The aim of this meeting is to discuss the possibility of developing guidelines, in TEI-compliant XML, for marking up Byzantine seal impressions, in a manner similar to that being developed for inscriptions (http://epidoc.sf.net/) and under discussion for coins.

Participants

KCL
Visitors

The following colleagues are all planning to attend; several have provided informal descriptions of their projects (links below):

  • Jean-Claude Cheynet (Paris)
  • Archie Dunn (Birmingham) [project]
  • Ivan Iordanov ((Sofia) [project]
  • Olga Karagiorgou (Athens) [project]
  • Joel Kalvesmaki and Lynne Shaner (Dumbarton Oaks) [project]
  • Michael Metcalf (Oxford) [project]
  • Vivien Prigent (Paris/Rome)
  • Werner Seibt (Vienna) [project]
  • Claudia Sode (Koeln)
  • Christos Stavrakos (Ioannina) (Working on "Eine neue gedruckte und digitale Edition der Bleisiegel des Numismatischen Museums Athen")
  • Lena Stepanova (St Petersburg) [project]

Programme

We plan to meet at 11.00 am, and after looking at the list of projects, and their range, we can turn to SigiDoc.

Charlotte will explain EpiDoc, and ask Juan to bring out some of its implications for seals, presenting what a SigiDoc text might look like.

From 12.30-1.30 we shall break for an informal lunch.

Then Michael and Juan will set out some of the benefits, and some of the issues which need to be addressed. Participants are invited to be as critical as possible – the aim is to expose weaknesses and establish desiderata.

5.00 What next?

How can we establish an appropriate academic structure; and how can we obtain funding? What do we need?

Initially, a research centre which could co-ordiante the development of SigiDoc, and regular meetings, to resolve problems, and to disseminate the guidelines. Perhaps a British Academy Research Grant? (See http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/lrg.html.)

Then dinner!