FAIR Epigraphic Vocabularies: Type of Inscription

Classifications based on the purpose and content of inscribed texts

Website: https://ontology.inscriptiones.org/type_of_inscription

Github: https://github.com/FAIR-epigraphy/ontology

The Type of Inscription vocabulary provides a hierarchical classification system that categorises inscriptions according to their primary societal function and content. Based on the foundational work of the EAGLE Europeana Project (Liuzzo et al. 2013; Liuzzo 2015) and developed by the Epigraphy.info Vocabularies Working Group between 2020 and 2022, this taxonomy recognises that inscriptions served diverse purposes in ancient societies, ranging from official legal documents and religious dedications to commercial records and personal commemorations. 

The original EAGLE vocabularies provided crucial groundwork but required substantial consolidation: we systematically reviewed each term, resolving duplicates and establishing hierarchical relationships using SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organisation System) properties to express broader, narrower, and related connections. The new hierarchical structure was informed by the discussions with members of the Epigraphy.info community and with FAIR Epigraphy partners, as well as by a detailed review of current usage in twelve major epigraphic databases and consulted with their representatives (ISicily, EDR, EDH, RIB, LatinNow, SEG, ICyr, EDB, IOSPE, MAMA IX, IAphrodisias, AGP; for unabbreviated names and links see below). Where projects employed divergent terminology for equivalent concepts, we conducted alignment exercises based on frequency of use, semantic precision, and compatibility with established standards. We expanded coverage to accommodate functional classifications underrepresented in the original scheme, particularly for multilingual contexts. The classification prioritises functional categories over formal characteristics, enabling researchers to analyse patterns in epigraphic practice across different contexts and periods. Each term includes detailed formal definitions, scope notes clarifying boundaries with related concepts, and usage examples drawn from published corpora, facilitating comparative studies and ensuring consistency in metadata descriptions across digital epigraphic projects whilst maintaining interoperability with existing epigraphic databases and standards. Where possible, we linked the vocabularies to Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus, Wikidata, and EpiVoc authority lists and specialised vocabularies to improve discoverability and compatibility with museum and archaeological data systems, particularly for materials, object types, and techniques.

Concepts that conflate the function of the text and inscribed object, such as graffiti or instrumentum domesticum, were disregarded in the type of inscription vocabulary (with minor exceptions), as they are already referenced in the Inscribed Object vocabulary. Each inscription can be tagged with multiple concepts to accommodate the conceptual complexity of inscriptions.

Aligned epigraphic projects and databases

ISicily: https://isicily.org/

EDR (Epigraphic Database Roma): http://www.edr-edr.it/

EDH (Epigraphic Database Heidelberg): https://edh.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/

RIB (Roman Inscriptions of Britain): https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/

LatinNow: https://latinnow.eu/

SEG (Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum): https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/browse/supplementum-epigraphicum-graecum

ICyr (Inscriptions of Cyrenaica): https://igcyr.unibo.it/

EDB (Epigraphic Database Bari): http://www.edb.uniba.it/

IOSPE (Inscriptiones Orae Septentrionalis Ponti Euxini): https://iospe.kcl.ac.uk/

MAMA IX (Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua IX):  https://mama.csad.ox.ac.uk/

IAphrodisias (Inscriptions of Aphrodisias): http://insaph.kcl.ac.uk/iaph2007/

AGP (Ancient Graffiti Project): https://ancientgraffiti.org/

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the foundational work of the EAGLE Europeana Project in establishing controlled vocabularies for digital epigraphy. We are particularly grateful to the FAIR Epigraphy partners and Epigraphy.info community, especially the members of the Vocabularies Working Group, for their invaluable contributions to the development of the vocabularies and their ongoing engagement in advancing FAIR principles in digital epigraphy and building community-wide standards.

Version note

The previous version of the vocabulary was published on 1 April 2024, but was never formally released. The current version 1.0.0 maintains an identical structure but was enriched through alignment with Wikidata and EpiVoc and improved definitions and examples.

Anyone wishing to contribute can do so either by contacting the authors (PH is the responsible author), or creating an issue via GitHub (https://github.com/FAIR-epigraphy/ontology/issues).