Charters are "Words of Learning" - for contemporaries learning about legal activities and status, and for mediaeval studies scholars, sources of their own learning. Digital methods provide entirely new learnings: on the charters themselves and on the actors writing, using, and keeping charters. Our sessions aim to demonstrate how computational methods can fundamentally transform and expand our understanding of documentary practices and knowledge transmission across Europe.
We welcome papers on the following topics:
1. Computer Vision and Medieval Charters: New Perspectives on Visual Learning
- How can computer vision techniques reveal patterns in the visual aspects of charters across regions and time?
- Applications of machine learning algorithms to identify and analyse layout, script styles, and graphical elements (seals, monograms) in large datasets of digitised charters.
2. Natural Language Processing and Charter Formulas: Tracing Textual Learning Networks
- Computational analysis of charter texts using NLP techniques to uncover patterns in formulaic language, legal terminology, and scribal practices.
- Exploration of networks of textual learning and the dissemination of documentary conventions across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
3. Data Visualisation and Medieval Charter Networks: Mapping Knowledge Circulation
- Application of network analysis, GIS mapping, and other visualisation methods to represent relationships between chanceries, scribes, and document types.
- New insights into the "worlds of learning" in charter production through data visualisation techniques.
4. Digital Methodologies and Medieval Charters: Innovative Approaches to Documentary Learning
- How can digital editions enhance our understanding of charter creation, use, and preservation? What insights can database creation and management offer into the organisation and retrieval of mediaeval documentary knowledge?
- Applications of XML/TEI encoding for semantic analysis of charter content and structure.
- Exploration of linked data approaches to connect charter information across different collections and archives.
By applying state-of-the-art computational methods to the study of late mediaeval charters, we aim to contribute to a more interconnected and nuanced understanding of European documentary cultures and the transmission of specialised knowledge in this period.
Submission Guidelines:
- Please submit a 100-word abstract of your proposed contribution and a brief CV.
- Send submissions to didip@uni-graz.at (Subject: IMC2025)
- Deadline: September 16th, 2024
We look forward to your contributions to these exciting intersections of medieval studies and digital humanities!
ERC DiDip Team