EpiDoc training, Lausanne, July 7

Introducing the EpiDoc Collaborative: TEI XML and tools for encoding classical source texts

Training workshop attached to the Digital Humanities annual conference in Lausanne, Switzerland
Monday, July 7, 2014

Gabriel Bodard, Charlotte Tupman (King’s College London) and Greta Franzini, Simona Stoyanova (University of Leipzig)

Information on the timing and venue of the DH 2014 workshops, and how to book can be found at the conference website.

The programme will begin with a short introduction the history and theoretical basis of EpiDoc, guidelines, schema and related tools for the encoding of epigraphic and other ancient text editions in TEI XML. We will give an overview of the structure of a traditional epigraphic edition, and show how TEI elements are mapped to the semantic distinctions and fields therein. We will continue with further discussion of the Leiden Conventions (rigorous and arbitrary sigla for encoding editorial features of transcribed text in use since 1931) and how we map TEI elements to the semantic features that they represent. The EpiDoc Guidelines and further examples will be shown. Some time will be given for practice throughout. As a self-checking mechanism, students will be shown how to transform their EpiDoc XML files into HTML resembling a conventional edition, using the EpiDoc Example XSLT.

The afternoon session will start with an introduction to the Papyrological Editor and the use of a tag-free interface. Participants will have the opportunity to enter a papyrological text into the database as an exercise. We will continue with a discussion on the principles of crosswalking; examples include EpiDoc to EDH and HGV to EpiDoc, as well as an example of EpiDoc’s applicability to non-epigraphic material with the ongoing conversion of the Perseus Digital Library. Finally, we will explore the ways in which EpiDoc data can be linked with other resources and shared using RDF, illustrate, using examples from resources such as Pelagios, SNAP:DRGN and the EAGLE Europeana project.

The audience for this workshop may include scholars at all levels, from students to professors, or professionals with an interest in epigraphic or classical texts and digital encoding. Participants who have a classical background but only relatively basic understanding of TEI and XML are welcome, as are scholars with more knowledge of TEI but a different disciplinary background, who might be interested in applying the experience EpiDoc to source texts of other languages and periods. We shall not expect to explain the principles of TEI or the use of an XML editor, but will make every effort to accommodate participants from a range of backgrounds and expertise. By the end of the tutorial, participants will be able to approach and analyse a text from an editorial and technical standpoint, have an understanding of the value of bringing together a richer and wider variety of texts, and take part in the EpiDoc community fora. Several students of past workshops over the years have actively become involved in supporting and even contributing to the teaching of EpiDoc tutorials.

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