NEW ONTOLOGY FOR THE ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT
A DATA MODEL FOR CODICES INTEGRATED INTO DIGILAB-IT ONTOLOGIES
The data model created is connected to and integrated within the various ontologies designed for Digilab-IT and contributes to the representation and definition of the Heritage Digital Twin.
In developing the DigiLab-IT platform, we are tackling the challenge of creating a conceptual model that semantically describes and represents illuminated manuscripts in their numerous tangible and intangible aspects. Our initial phase has focused on a specific type of manuscript—the codex, characterised as a physical artifact that carries symbolic content.
Preliminary study of standards and cataloguing systems, thesauri and vocabulries
To define key concepts, we conducted a thorough preliminary study of existing ministerial standards and cataloguing systems established by ICCD for Opere e oggetti d’arte (works and art objects), and by ICCU for cataloguing manuscripts in Italian libraries for the MANUS digital platform. The most common thesauri and vocabularies have been also analysed to use shared language—as vocabularies for ICCD forms, Getty Vocabularies, Iconclass, and guides specifically dedicated to illuminated manuscripts.
CIDOC –CRM and its extensions further expanded for Illuminated Manuscripts Hub
After establishing the essential concepts for describing ancient and medieval illuminated books based on our pilot project objectives, we mapped these concepts to conceptual models, beginning with CIDOC-CRM and its extensions—CRMSci, CRMDig, CRMTex, and LRMoo. We are expanding these models by introducing new classes and properties that better address the specific requirements of the various disciplines involved in studying illuminated manuscripts.