This resource provides consolidated community-wide standards implemented as part of the Linked Open Data ecosystem, comprising two main elements: controlled vocabularies and ontology. You can currently access and test the first stage of our controlled vocabularies, with new terms being continuously added and updated throughout 2025.
The controlled vocabularies are available to download as an RDF Turtle file, together with their VoID file (The Vocabulary of Interlinked Datasets). The controlled vocabulary is made available as a Linked Open Data (LOD) resource, accessible online with stable Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs), developed by the FAIR Epigraphy Project and hosted by the Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents at the University of Oxford .
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Controlled vocabularies provide a consistent and objective way to describe epigraphic data and define their exact meaning across projects and disciplines. They represent standardised and organised terms, often structured hierarchically with broader and narrower terms, definitions, and alternative labels in multiple languages.
In the world of Linked Open Data, these vocabularies serve as authoritative reference points for researchers and project administrators—stable references that precisely describe concepts or phenomena being recorded in epigraphic studies.
Standardise terminology across your publications and databases, enabling more precise cross-collection searching and data integration.
Implement consistent data structures that connect to the broader epigraphic ecosystem, enhancing interoperability and data longevity.
Access clearly defined terminology that bridges traditional epigraphic scholarship with modern digital methods.
The creation of updated controlled epigraphic vocabularies has been identified by the community as essential for implementing FAIR and Open Science principles in epigraphy (Tupman 2021; Heřmánková et al. 2022). Our work consolidates and extends the groundbreaking efforts of the EAGLE Europeana Project (2013-2016) while aligning with current standards of FAIR Epigraphy Project partners.
While the EAGLE vocabularies represented an important step forward, community discussions during Epigraphy.info meetings revealed several limitations:
The FAIR Epigraphic Vocabularies represent a 'bottom-up' application that employs a multifaceted hierarchic categorisation system. This approach allows for multiple conceptual frameworks while recognising the complex and multilingual nature of inscriptions and the discipline's historiography. The proposed FAIR epigraphic controlled vocabularies present a consolidation of work conducted by the EAGLE Europeana Project in 2013-2016 (Liuzzo et al. 2013; Liuzzo 2015; Liuzzo and Evangelisti 2021) and an alignment of current standards of partner projects of the FAIR Epigraphy Project (https://inscriptiones.org/).
Furthermore, our vocabulary adheres to the principles of FAIR data (Wilkinson et al. 2016), emphasising:
This approach facilitates efficient collaboration, linking, and cross-referencing, enabling researchers to build upon each other's work and explore epigraphy in a structured and accessible manner across project boundaries. Overall, this initiative enhances the research landscape in epigraphy by fostering cooperation and providing a reliable and standardised resource for scholars in the field.
The FAIR Epigraphic Vocabularies build upon seven core categories, with three unique to epigraphy and four shared with other disciplines:
Classifications based on the purpose and content of inscribed texts
Classifications of physical objects bearing inscriptions
Methods used to create inscriptions on various surfaces
Physical substances on which inscriptions appear
Visual elements accompanying inscribed text
Chronological classification systems
Condition assessment terminology for inscribed objects
Terminology for describing linguistic features (newly added based on LatinNow work)
The application of computational and statistical methods benefits greatly from controlled vocabularies. They provide a foundation for creating structured and reliable datasets, which is crucial for rigorous analysis and large-scale comparative research.
The FAIR Epigraphic Vocabularies represent an ongoing collaborative effort. As we continue to expand and refine these resources throughout 2025, we welcome your expertise and feedback.
Whether you're implementing these vocabularies in your project, teaching with them, or using them for research, we'd like to hear about your experience.
These resources provide foundational knowledge and current research in both traditional epigraphy and digital approaches to epigraphic data. They inform our vocabulary development and may assist users in understanding the scholarly context of our work.
Resources on digital approaches to epigraphy and implementing FAIR principles for epigraphic data.
Research on standardising epigraphic vocabularies and implementing semantic web technologies.
Fundamental reference works for Latin epigraphic methodology and analysis.
Essential reference works for Greek epigraphic methods and analysis.