wiki:IsmiDataModel

Data model for ISMI

Conceptual objects in the database:

  • (abstract-) TEXT
  • ALIAS (title for text or name for person or place)
  • WITNESS (aka manuscript)
  • CODEX (of one or more witnesses)
  • COLLECTION
  • REPOSITORY (aka library)
  • PERSON
  • PLACE
  • SUBJECT

Objects

TEXT

an abstract text (mostly with a specific title) that exists as one or more witnesses.

Attributes:

  • full_title (arabic)
  • full_title_translit (transliteration, generated from arabic if not present)
  • short_title canonical short title in arabic or latin (if applicable)
  • language
    • MAIN:
    • Arabic
    • Persian-Farsi
    • Greek-classical
    • Hebrew
    • Latin
    • Syriac
    • SECONDARY:
    • Armenian
    • Castillian
    • Catalan
    • Chinese
    • French
    • German
    • Greek-Byzantine
    • Hindi
    • Italian
    • Mongolian
    • Persian-Old
    • Persian-Middle
    • Russian
    • Sanskrit
    • Turkish (Ottoman pre-1839)
    • Turkish (Ottoman 1839-)
    • Turkish (pre-Ottoman)
    • Turkish-Republican
    • Urdu
    • Uighur
  • incipit i.e. beginning (arabic text)
  • explicit i.e. ending (arabic text)
  • dedication (arabic text)
  • creation_date (hijra date, should generate a CE date)
    • creation_date_ce (legacy)
    • creation_date_num (legacy)
  • text_type i.e. genre
    • First-order prose composition (or compilation) [matn]
    • First-order verse composition (didactic poem)
    • Second-order composition (Commentary) [sharh]
    • Third-order composition (Supercommentary)
    • Fourth-order composition (Gloss)
    • Fifth-order composition (Supergloss)
    • Sixth-order composition
    • Seventh-order composition
    • Rearrangement
    • Abridgement (epitome)
    • Versification
    • Translation
    • Paraphrase
    • Supplement
  • text_arrangement latin text description of number of books, parts, chapters, sections
  • table_of_contents (arabic text)
  • notes some text notes

Relations:

  • TEXT is_commentary_on TEXT
  • TEXT is_translation_of TEXT
  • TEXT is_version_of TEXT
    • is redaction (revision, abbreviation, paraphrase, ...) of text
  • TEXT was_created_by PERSON
  • TEXT was_created_in PLACE
  • TEXT was_dedicated_to PERSON
  • ALIAS is_alias_title_of TEXT
  • ALIAS is_alias_incipit_of TEXT
  • TEXT has_subject SUBJECT
  • ...

Problematic attributes:

  • subject of text (legacy attribute genre, replaced by relation)
    • hay'a, zīj, mīqāt, astrolabe, etc
    • -> a canonical list of subjects should be present in the database
  • format/structure of text (number of books, parts, chapters, sections)
  • bibliographical information (secondary literature)
  • number of versions [this number will generate additional forms to fill in unique details for each version; a version is usually an author's reedition but could have been made by students or someone else, even w/o author's approval]
  • information whether the work has been published, translated, studied (relations)
  • Text Arrangement: list of chapters, with a title in Arabic attached to each chapter.
  • basis of text [the immediate text to which this is related as commentary, translation, gloss, etc.]

Problems:

  • alias titles e.g. greek, latin linked to translations? [yes; also for persons, e.g. Avicenna=Ibn Sīnā]
  • must Text Arrangement be a new definition? It is composed of several field! [yes since each component of the text arrangement corresponds to a particular page and line number in a witness; e.g. chapter 3 might correspond to f. 31a, line 2 in one witness, f. 42b, line 20 in another witness, etc.]

WITNESS

witnesses (manuscripts) are concrete written pieces of paper lying in a library.

Attributes:

  • title as written on the manuscript (if different from text title)
  • title_translit transliteration of title
  • author_name as written on the manuscript
  • source_of_information
    • catalog, ...(we need a list of values here!)
  • ms_number (legacy)
  • codex_part
  • folios total number and/or text
  • incipit if different from TEXT
  • explicit if different from TEXT
  • colophon (arabic text)
  • is_autograph is this manuscript the autograph of the text (yes/no)
  • creation_date (hijra, translated to CE)
  • creation_date_ce
  • page_dimensions height + width in cm
  • written_area_dimensions height + width in cm
  • lines_per_page
  • writing_surface (predefined list)
  • page_layout (latin text)
  • script
    • include comments on legibility, ink, etc.
  • other_features
  • diagrams_and_illustrations information on diagrams and illustrations
    • include number of diagrams, folios, color of ink, brief description
    • include number of tables if possible, folios, color of ink, brief description
  • scans URL to images of the witness
  • notes_on_title_author
  • notes_on_collation_and_corrections information on collation and corrections
  • notes_on_ownership
  • notes

Relations:

  • WITNESS is_exemplar_of TEXT
  • WITNESS is_part_of CODEX
    • is part of a collection
    • is in a library
  • WITNESS was_created_by PERSON
  • WITNESS was_created_in PLACE
  • WITNESS had_patron PERSON
  • WITNESS is_similar_to WITNESS
    • with notes
  • WITNESS was_annotated_by PERSON
    • information about annotation
  • WITNESS was_taught_by PERSON
  • WITNESS was_studied_by PERSON
  • WITNESS was_owned_by PERSON
  • WITNESS was_studied_in PLACE/INSTITUTION

Problems:

  • annotations/marginal notes
  • Text Arrangement Pagination (from Text Arrangement into TEXT). This field shows folio and line number of the start of each chapter (from TEXT) in the list.
  • alternative MS/catalog numbers?
    • ALIAS library/collection/shelfmark -> different CODEX

CODEX

a codex is a physical, bound collection of manuscripts

Attributes:

  • identifier (shelfmark or catalog id)
  • number_of_folios
  • table_of_contents table of witnesses in the codex
  • binding (select from list)
  • dimensions
  • distinguishing_features (e.g. presentation copy, decoration)
  • notes_on_ownership
  • notes

Relations:

  • WITNESS is_part_of CODEX
  • CODEX is_part_of COLLECTION
  • CODEX is_part_of LIBRARY
  • CODEX is_copy_of CODEX
  • CODEX was_copied_by PERSON
  • CODEX was_owned_by PERSON
  • CODEX had_patron PERSON
  • ALIAS is_alias_identifier CODEX

Problems:

  • does every witness have to be in a codex? yes

COLLECTION

a codex is in a collection (in a repository).

Attributes:

  • name of collection
  • notes
  • owner and historical information
  • description of holdings

Relations:

  • CODEX is_part_of COLLECTION
  • COLLECTION is_part_of LIBRARY

REPOSITORY

a collection is in a repository (aka library)

Attributes:

  • name of repository
  • more info?

Relations:

  • CODEX is_part_of REPOSITORY
  • COLLECTION is_part_of REPOSITORY
  • REPOSITORY is_in PLACE

PERSON

persons are (real or hypothetical) people that have some relation to a manuscript/text.

Attributes:

  • name full arabic (or other script) name
  • name_translit transliteration of name
  • short_name canonical short name (in transliteration)
  • birth_date birth date (hijra)
  • birth_date_ce birth date (ce)
  • death_date death date (hijra)
  • death_date_ce birth date (ce)
  • url link to biography
  • authority_id id in library of congress authority file
  • notes

Relations:

  • TEXT was_created_by PERSON
  • WITNESS was_created_by PERSON
  • TEXT/WITNESS/CODEX had_patron PERSON
  • ALIAS is_alias_name_of PERSON
  • PERSON was_born_in PLACE
  • PERSON died_in PLACE
  • PERSON was_influenced_by PERSON
  • (...)

Problems:

  • anonymous or insufficiently specified names
  • alternative names (historical change?)

Anonymous authors:

  • link to one generic Anonymous person (with optional notes)
  • if more individuating information becomes available a new person will be created and linked as an author

ALIAS

alias titles or names for places and persons.

Attributes:

  • alias arabic or latin or other text
  • alias_translit semi-automatically generated transliteration if necessary

Relations:

  • ALIAS is_alias_name_of PERSON
  • ALIAS is_alias_title_of TEXT
  • ALIAS is_alias_incipit_of TEXT
  • ALIAS is_alias_explicit_of TEXT

PLACE

places are institutions, dwellings or locations that have some relation to a manuscript/text/person/library/...

Attributes:

  • name original script name
  • name_translit (translit)
  • type of place
    • institution, city_part, city, region (also country)
  • location geographic coordinates (point and polygon?)

Relations:

  • PLACE is_part_of PLACE (city is part of region, etc)
  • WITNESS was_created_in PLACE
  • PERSON was_born_in PLACE
  • LIBRARY is_in PLACE
  • ALIAS is_alias_name_of PLACE (at a certain time?)

SUBJECT

subjects are subject matters that are treated in a text.

Attributes:

  • name subject name or description (English?)
  • name_arabic
  • notes

Relations:

  • SUBJECT is_part_of SUBJECT
  • TEXT has_subject SUBJECT

Examples:

  • ASTROLOGY
  • ASTRONOMY
    • hay’a (4-part division)
    • hay’a (general astronomy)
    • mīqāt
    • qibla determination
    • taqwīm
  • ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS
    • astrolabes
    • celestial globes/armillary spheres
    • equatoria
    • observational
    • quadrants
      • sundials
  • ASTRONOMICAL TABLES (ZĪJES)
  • CHRONOLOGY
  • COSMOLOGY-philosophical
  • COSMOLOGY-religious
  • GEOGRAPHY-mathematical
  • GEOGRAPHY-terrestrial phenomena (hay’at al-arḍ)
  • MATHEMATICS
    • algebra
    • arithmetic
      • arithmetic tables
      • basic arithmetic
      • number theory
    • geometry
      • conic sections
      • Euclidean constructions
      • general geometry
    • mensuration
    • inheritance (farā’iḍ)
    • magic squares
    • spherics
    • trigonometry
  • OPTICS
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • mechanical devices
    • military
    • navigation
  • PHILOSOPHY
    • metaphysics/ilâhiyyât
    • natural philosophy/tabî‘iyyât
    • epistemology/tasawwur and tasdîq
    • philosophy of mind/‘ilm al-nafs
    • ethics/akhlâq
    • politics/siyâsa
    • logic/mantiq
    • dialectic/âdâb al-bahth, ‘ilm al-munâzara
    • philosophy of language/‘ilm al-wad‘, ‘ilm al-balâgha, usûl al-fiqh
    • multiple subjects
    • other

Secondary literature

Items:

  • bibliographical items (book/article/etc)
  • later separate authors with aliases

Relations:

  • covers text/manuscript/codex/collection/library or person

Questions

  • historical record of manuscripts in libraries?
  • historical record of author attribution?
  • historical record of ownership?
  • have the possibility to maintain a list of Titles which were wrongly attributed to an author in secondary literature
  • collect secondary literature
  • format of dates
  • workflow for public and non-public entries in the display?
Last modified 15 years ago Last modified on Jun 25, 2009, 10:19:28 PM