Dumbarton Oaks Hagiography Database of the 8th-10th Century

---

The Dumbarton Oaks Database Project is designed to significantly improve access to and interpretation of the corpus of Byzantine saints' Lives of the 8th-10th centuries by facilitating the systematic search for data in these texts. Hagiographical texts can be especially useful in providing information on aspects of medieval life neglected by chronicles and histories. The latter tend to focus on major cities, on the imperial court and patriarchate, on war and diplomacy. Saints' Lives, on the other hand, often deal with provincial cities, villages, and the countryside; they open a window onto such topics as the lives of ordinary people, family life, childhood games and education, modes of travel, the construction of churches and monasteries, illness and demonic possession, and the miraculous healing power of saints and their relics.

The database proper (using Advanced Revelations 2.1.1 software) consists of records in which data extracted from a saint's vita are entered in a tripartite classification (Category- Subcategory-Word), e.g., Medicine-Surgical Instruments-Scalpel. Proper names and toponyms have their own categories. Each record card includes the name and dates of the saint and the page and line number of the passage from which the data have been extracted. The record card also includes a note field; the key words or phrases (transliterated into Roman letters) are included here to indicate the Greek words or phrases selected for entry. Where appropriate, notations are added to the effect that the word or phrase entered has been used in the original text metaphorically or as a simile, or that it is from a proverbial expression or part of a quotation from an earlier author. Words and terms from Scriptural citations are generally omitted.

The search possibilities are numerous and very flexible. Thus, one can look for all entries relating to medicine in an individual vita, in all vitae of 9th-century saints, or in all vitae whose social setting is Constantinople. One can look up a category (e.g., agriculture), subcategory (e.g., weapons), or individual word (e.g., bath). One can also search for toponyms and personal names. Another option is to call up in order all the records from a single vita, so that they provide a kind of running annotation to a text. For the convenience of the user, who may not have access to many of the hagiographic texts used in the database, the database module is complemented by the Greek text (in WordPerfect) of each vita. The text is divided into files containing discrete paragraphs that are linked to individual data records. The Greek texts have been retyped from the original editions. Many of these editions are almost a century old, lack critical apparatus, and in some cases are poorly printed. We have therefore endeavored to present an "improved version" by making two sorts of corrections: 1) we have made tacit corrections in orthography, accentuation, breathings and punctuation; 2) where the reading of a word in the text appears erroneous, we have suggested an emendation, sometimes based on the proposal of a scholarly journal review.

Researchers who need to search for Greek words can search for selected trasnliterated Greek terms that have been entered in the note field. Also available now is a separate set of diskettes containing the continuous Greek texts of the vitae (textbase). Accompanying the database and textbase are brief introductions to the vita of each saint, with essential biographical and chronological data, and, where possible, information on the author and date of composition of the Life. Appended to each introduction is an extensive bibliography, listing all editions of a vita and the secondary literature. There is also a detailed Users' Manual.

The database which contains materials from 85 vitea and 34 synaxarion notices of 8th-10th century saints, is now available on a licensing basis in the form of a set of 17 floppy diskettes. A run-time version of the database's operating system is included.

(We are in the process of converting the database to a Windows format which will be accessible at no charge through the Dumbarton Oaks website; it is our hope that the new format will be ready by the end of 2000.)

Specifications:

--- PC or 100% compatible machine; Power Mac with DOS capability

--- DOS version 2.11 or higher (the database also operates with in the DOS partition of WINDOWS 95)

--- minimum 640K RAM

--- 95 MB of hard disk space

--- WordPerfect 5.1 or higher and the Greek Language Module

--- Greek-printing capability: laser printer or any other printer with memory for downloading Greek soft fonts

 

Cost:

--- $175 license fee for individuals

--- $200 license fee for institutions

--- domestic mail, add $5 for shipping and handling

--- international mail, add $15 for shipping and handling

Payment must be made by check or money order in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank, or by Visa/MasterCard charge

--- good for 15 years

--- upgrades provided at cost

For more information or orders write to:

Alice-Mary Talbot
Dumbarton Oaks
1703 32nd St., NW
Washington, DC 20007

Office: 202-339-6940

Fax: 202-339-6419

e-mail: TalbotAM@doaks.org

| back | Byzantine Studies |